


Will you love me if I learn how to draw?

by Vivispinkhair



Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-03
Updated: 2019-07-28
Packaged: 2020-01-04 10:13:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 74,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18341594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vivispinkhair/pseuds/Vivispinkhair
Summary: Kim Hyunjin is the star goalie and team captain of her school's soccer team. After receiving an injury and being told she can't play for a couple of weeks, she is hit with even more bad news. Her art class grade is abysmal and she runs the risk of failing the year if she can't bring her grade up. Her only hope is the school prodigy, Jeon Heejin, but Hyunjin has never even heard of her. The only thing Hyunjin knows is that she needs to heal up and go back to playing her sports. However, after meeting Heejin, Hyunjin thinks that maybe she has room in her mind for something other than sports.





	1. Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> *Light hearted fic, there will be some mild drama later on but nothing too serious. This is my first Loona fic, so please be easy on me. Enjoy! I'll try to update every couple of days.

_Miss Kim Hyunjin,_

_This letter is to inform you that you are failing your art course. If you don't bring your grades up, you risk losing your position in your sports team and risk failing the year. I'm setting up a tutoring session after school with my best student. I expect you to show up today on time._

_\- Miss Lee_

Hyunjin read the note over and over. She groaned and crumpled it up in her hands. This week was just going terribly. She had been injured during a game of soccer and she would be out for a few weeks.

"Why does it even matter at this point? I'm probably going to get kicked out of the team over failing a stupid art class. Who even cares about art? You either have talent or you don't!" Hyunjin sighed and looked at the paper again. "Ugh this is so stupid and such a waste of time. How do you even teach someone how to draw?"

She put her head back down on the desk and closed her eyes. She felt someone rubbing her back and turned to look, head still pressed on the desk.

"Hey, don't get so frustrated. You will heal in no time and you will pass your class. Don't start thinking the worst so quickly. We need our star goalie and captain to lead us to victory!"

Hyunjin groaned but gave her friend a small chuckle. "I don't know how you can always be so positive, Yerim." Yerim grinned and put her hands up to the sides of her cheeks. "They don't call me sunshine for nothing! Besides, you know who's your tutor right?"  
Hyunjin raised a brow, she had no clue. "I have no idea?" Yerim's eyes widened and she spoke quickly. "Jeon Heejin! She's like, the most talented person in our class. Haven't you seen her paintings? She's had her work showcased in various local museums."

Hyunjin shrugged and reached for a piece of bread in her bag. She stuffed it in her face and spoke, "I dunno, I don't pay attention obviously. I just care about the soccer team."

Yerim scoffed, "Geez, Hyunjin, she's a big deal. Everyone at school likes her! The teachers love her!!" Hyunjin only stared at the excited girl. What's the big deal? If it wasn't about sports, then she really didn't care. Yerim could tell the older girl wasn't interested and she shook her head. "Well for your sake, I hope she can help you pass the class. I may be co-captain, but there's no way I can fill your shoes. Haseul should be doing this."

Hyunjin chuckled. Haseul was an excellent player but her mind was elsewhere. "You know Haseul is so whipped for Kahei, all she does is go to where the cheerleaders are and flirts with her." Yerim giggled, "Well, at least things are going well for them. Her parents have been more accepting of Kahei these days." Hyunjin nodded her head, "Right, all thanks to Yeojin." They both remained silent, thinking about the hardships their friend had gone through due to her parent's homophobia. But luckily, things turned around for her eventually.

Yerim looked at her watch and silently cursed, "I gotta go Hyunjin, I promised myself I wouldn't show up late to my math class. God, I hate math. Do you need any help before I head off?" Hyunjin looked down at her hurt arm. It wasn't broken but she had limited movement with it. She narrowed her eyes, remembering what had happened.

It was all because of that girl Sooyoung from another school. She had purposely run into her and caused deep bruising on her arm. That bitch. Hyunjin hated her. She was her ultimate rival. And all this was caused by her. The injured girl snapped out of her thoughts and quickly answered her friend.

"Could you just throw this out for me and take the tray? I can't lift very well with my left arm." Yerim took the tray of food and smiled at the girl. "Unnie, you will heal up soon and pass your class, just you watch." Hyunjin could feel the sincerity in the girl's voice and she smiled at her. "Thanks, Yerim. I feel a little better." And with that Yerim left and Hyunjin sat alone at their table. Haseul was of course with Vivi, probably having lunch by the bleachers. Hyunjin looked at the time. "Guess I should head to class." She grabbed another snack from her bag and munched on it on her way to class. It was going to be a long day.  
\-----  
The bell rang, signaling the end of her history class. Hyunjin sighed and picked up her things. She had forgotten that today was Friday. Just great, having to stay longer in school when she could be starting her weekend. Over stupid art.

"Fuck, I hate this."  
"Hey, watch that potty mouth!" Hyunjin jumped at the sudden voice behind her. She turned around and was face to face with Haseul. Kahei was hanging on her arm and honestly, if she wasn't about to get scolded, Hyunjin would have teased them about how cute they looked together.  
"How many times have I told you not to use such bad words? Huh? How many fucking times?" Hyunjin looked at Kahei and gave her a "You hearing this?" look. Kahei laughed and tugged on Haseul's arm. "Babe, chill, it's very obvious Hyunjin here is upset over something. How about we ask her what's up?"  
The best way to describe Haseul's reaction to Kahei's words was that she melted into a puddle. She was still physically there but it looked like she just turned to mush. She nodded her head shyly and turned her attention back to Hyunjin.

"What's wrong?"  
Hyunjin sighed and explained her situation. "So basically I'm screwed if I don't pass this course and I can't play for a while." Haseul brought a finger to her chin and seemed to be deep in thought. "But it's only art, and you got the best artist in school tutoring you." Hyunjin was surprised. Was that girl really that important?

"How come everyone knows about this girl? I've never heard of her." This time it was Haseul and Kahei's turn to be surprised. Kahei spoke, "Hyunjin, she's really amazing. She makes such beautiful artwork. If she can't help you pass this class then you are really a lost cause."  
Hyunjin rolled her eyes and rubbed her temples. "Ok, ok, I guess I should head over to her now. Teacher warned me not to be late."  
Haseul gave her team captain a salute, "Ok Captain, good luck!" Hyunjin scoffed a bit. "I hope you are helping Yerim deal with the team and not busy doing something else with Kahei. I expect you to show up on time and help her train the rest of the team. Yerim might always keep her cool on the outside but she does get upset on her own. So, maybe ease up on the flirting, yeah?" Haseul was visibly blushing, but Kahei only laughed next to her.

"She's right babe, don't neglect your team members. If you come visit me during cheerleading practice, I'll kick you out." Kahei's voice was only half serious but Haseul looked absolutely devastated, "But babe!!..."

Hyunjin contined on her way, hiding her grin. Haseul was truly whipped for that girl. The star athlete felt just a bit of envy, however. While her brain was full of sports, she did have her moments of wanting someone to be cheering her on while she played. Of course, she had a few admirers but nobody had really caught her eye. Hyunjin rolled her eyes, "As if I have time for that anyway."  
She continued down the hall and reached her art class. She gripped the door handle and felt nervous. But why? It's not like she was going to do some chemistry course. It was only art. Then again, she was going to be taught by some school celebrity. What if she was a bitch? What if she was stuck up? Hyunjin felt frustrated. She didn't want to be judged or treated like shit. She shook her head and turned the knob. This was no time to get all worried and anxious. She needed to pass her class and get back to playing. She looked down at her bruised arm, covered with bandages. She needed to heal up as soon as possible.

She quietly entered the room and spoke softly "Hello? I'm here for tutoring." Hyunjin took a few steps forward and her breath caught in her chest. There was a beautiful girl sitting in the middle of a few canvases. She had long, silky, black hair that seemed to sparkle with the sun hitting against it. She was adjusting something on her side and Hyunjin caught a full glimpse of her side profile. It was absolutely perfect. The gentle slope of her nose, the perfect curvature of her lips. Hyunjin was absolutely at a loss for words. The girl suddenly looked up and smiled. She pulled off her headphones and stood up.

"Sorry about that! I didn't hear you come in since I had my music in. Are you Kim Hyunjin?"  
Hyunjin nodded her head weakly. She couldn't form any words. The girl approached her and held out her hand. "I'm Jeon Heejin, I'll be your tutor." Hyunjin shakily reached out to shake the beautiful girl's hand and as soon as they made contact, Hyunjin felt a strange feeling spread throughout her body. Heejin let go and smiled at the stunned girl again.  
"Let's start, yeah?"  
Hyunjin nodded her head and took a seat. This was going to be a lot harder than she thought.


	2. Lesson

Chapter 2  
"So Miss Lee told me I need to start you off from square one. Is that right?"

  
Hyunjin pouted slightly, "I mean, I don't know. I'm not really into art. I like sports. I didn't even think this class was a big deal." Hyunjin look towards the raven haired beauty, who only held a small smile. Maybe she shouldn't have said that. After all, Heejin was very obviously into making art and her work was good enough to garner tons of praise. Hyunjin felt a little bad and quickly apologized, "Ah, sorry, I shouldn't treat this like it's not important. You seem to love it."  
Heejin nodded her head and pressed her fingers against the current painting she was working on. "Yes, I do quite enjoy it. It helps me to express myself in ways that words can't." Hyunjin looked towards the painting that Heejin was caressing. It was a beautiful forest landscape with what looked to be fireflies and several bunnies running about. Hyunjin felt a heavy weight on her chest and Heejin took notice.

"Hey, it's ok. You didn't say anything bad. I know you are really into playing soccer and this isn't exactly something that everyone is into." Hyunjin looked at the girl surprised and spoke quietly, "Um...how do you know I play soccer?" Heejin giggled, "Oh come on, I wasn't sure what you looked like, but I know the name Kim Hyunjin. I always hear the girls talking about you. I can see why."

  
Hyunjin's eyes widened and she looked away to hide the blush forming on her cheeks and ears. Heejin grinned and couldn't help but tease the girl before her. "There's no way you are embarrassed, I'm sure you hear this kind of stuff all the time." Hyunjin shook her head, "No, I don't." Of course she did, but it was never easy to accept. Hyunjin never knew how to act in those situations. She just liked sports and things like crushes and love and liking people only made up a tiny fraction of her thoughts.

  
Heejin raised a brow, not really believing the girl, "Well anyway, we should probably get started. This course is easy. I just need to show you some techniques and for the final grade you have to make a piece that applies all the techniques you've learned. There's five techniques in total. Today we will learn about stippling. Basically you just put a whole bunch of dots on paper. I'll show you some examples."

  
Hyunjin's head was spinning. Techniques? Final art piece? Stippling? What the fuck? Hyunjin only knew about sports. Kicking a soccer ball, and preventing people from making goals. Oh, and eating lots of food to keep her energy up. God, she wanted something to eat. Her stomach agreed and made a loud noise. She quickly put her arms around her stomach in an attempt to hide the sad sounds of hunger.

  
Heejin quickly turned to her, placing the book she was grabbing on the desk. "Are you hungry? Did you have lunch?" Hyunjin blushed, extremely embarrassed at how loud the noise was. "Uh yes and yes. Do you mind if I eat something while you show me whatever stippling is?" Heejin agreed and Hyunjin took out a piece of chocolate bread from her bag, but as she pulled it out, another snack fell out with it. Heejin watched in amusement, "You got a never ending supply of snacks in there?" Hyunjin giggled a bit, "Maybe." She picked it up and stuffed it back into her bag. She turned to Heejin, giving her her full attention. Heejin placed the book on the desk and signaled for Hyunjin to move closer to her.

  
When Hyunjin had walked in, she had sat a bit far away from her. She was a bit nervous, not knowing what kind of person Heejin was, but she started feeling more at ease. They pulled the desks together and hovered over the book. Heejin skimmed through the pages, showing the lost girl a few easy examples of the technique.  
"See, so it's just a series of dots and depending on how many you add and the placement of them, you can create different shadows and depth." Heejin pointed at some critical points in the piece of artwork before them. Hyunjin studied the piece, actually a bit amazed at how such tiny dots created such an intricate picture. It was actually kind of interesting.

  
"Isn't it cool? They are just dots but they can create such amazing things." Heejin spoke happily. She absolutely lit up as she examined the picture. Hyunjin watched her carefully and thought about how cute she looked. It was strange, there were plenty of girls who were after Hyunjin and they were all very attractive. But Heejin, she was just on another level. Hyunjin could only agree, "I've never paid attention to this stuff but it's pretty cool."  
Heejin grinned. She was genuinely happy to hear that the girl next to her found this interesting. "Why don't we try a bit? Try to replicate this example on the page. It's just a ball, but try to add some depth to it."

  
Hyunjin took out a pencil from her bag and Heejin handed her a sheet of paper. She formed a ball as best as she could, although it was a bit misshapen and small. Heejin tried to hide her giggles but Hyunjin still took notice.

  
"Hey, it's not nice to laugh at my lack of talent. I'm trying my best here." Hyunjin half scowled, trying to show her displeasure but a small smirk was still very obvious on her lips. Heejin put her hands up in a quick apology. "Right, right, sorry about that. It's just, the look of concentration on your face is mesmerizing." Hyunjin's half scowl quickly turned into a look of bewilderment. "Mesmerizing? My face? Huh?"

  
Heejin shook her head, "Sorry, um, how about you continue?" Hyunjin went back to work, her mind still thinking about what Heejin had just said. Was the girl flirting with her? She was never good with these things. She put the thought aside and continued trying to draw the ball.

  
On the other hand, Heejin was fighting an internal battle with herself. She didn't want to come off so strongly but she had known from the start who Kim Hyunjin was. Star goalie, team captain, strong legs, cute face, and a smile that was brighter than ten million stars. Heejin knew exactly who she was because she had a bit of a crush on the athletic girl. But sadly, she had never gotten the chance to interact with her. She would always see her sitting with a group of girls during lunch and she was especially close to that one super positive girl that everyone called "sunshine". Heejin wondered if they were an item but there was no way she was going to ask. So for now, she was happy just being able to sit next to the girl.

  
Hyunjin continued on with her work but she was visibly frustrated. "I can't make it look the same. This is hard." Heejin was shaken from her thoughts and looked down at the work. It wasn't terrible but could use some work. She reached over to pick up Hyunjin's pencil and whispered, "May I?" Hyunjin nodded her head yes and Heejin added just a few more dots to some key places and somehow the ball came alive. Hyunjin was amazed. "How'd you do that?" Heejin brought the pencil up to her chin, "Lots of practice and understanding." She winked at Hyunjin, who only stared at her, brows furrowed.

  
"Don't worry, Hyunjin, you will get it soon." Heejin looked down at the pencil she was holding. It had cute pictures of cartoon cats all over it. "Nice pencil." Hyunjin reached into her bag and pulled out a pouch that had a picture of a cat and some cat shaped erasers. "I love cats. I carry some pouches of food to feed the strays I see on my way home." Heejin's eyes lit up. Not only was this girl attractive as hell, but she was also so sweet.

  
Heejin was tempted to ask if they could perhaps one day walk home together and feed the cats but it was way too soon. Hyunjin had no idea that Heejin knew about her and had an active crush on her.

  
Hyunjin on the other hand wanted to ask Heejin if she wanted to accompany her while she fed the cats, but she felt it was too soon. It was strange, she barely knew the girl but she felt extremely comfortable with her. It would be nice to make a new friend. Her current friends were all great of course but Haseul and Kahei were always hanging off of each other. They were practically one entity. Yerim was always there for her but was trying very hard to keep up her grades to get into a good college. Yeojin was younger than all of them and she was a package deal with Haseul and Kahei. And she only ever saw Chaewon and Hyejoo at the arcade they all frequented. They weren't in the same school sadly. If Hyunjin could make a new friend out of this mess, she would be happy.

  
The girls sat in a comfortable silence as Hyunjin continued her attempts with the stippling technique. She had made a few more figures and seemed to be picking it up slowly. She looked at one particularly good ball she made and held it up. Heejin examined it carefully and grinned, "It's a lot better than the first one. You are picking this up quickly. You wouldn't be failing this class if you tried a bit harder, you know."

  
The athlete just shrugged, "Sorry Heejin, I just don't think it's a big deal." Heejin sighed, "Right right, you only care about sports." Hyunjin let out a small chuckle, "And cats and food."

  
Heejin shook her head and giggled, but part of her hoped that maybe one day she would be added to that list.

  
_"Heejin, sports, cats and food are all I care about."_  
A girl could dream, right?

  
Suddenly, a small buzzing was heard and Heejin looked down at her pocket. It was her phone. She had received a text. She glanced at it quickly and then looked at the time, 3:55pm. Their session was supposed to be until 4:00pm. She glanced down at the work Hyunjin had done and couldn't help but feel proud.  
"Hey Hyunjin, we can stop for today. Miss Lee wanted me to tutor you until 4 and I have a friend coming to pick me up. Do you want a ride? I can ask her."

  
Hyunjin quickly shook her head, "No, it's ok. I live close by, but I also need to go check on the soccer team and see if there's any funny business going on."  
Heejin felt a tad bit disappointed. She wanted to spend a little more time with the girl but maybe next time. She needed to set up their next tutoring session.  
"Alright, so...um...next week then? Tuesday?"

  
Hyunjin quickly agreed, "That works, not like I have anything else to do." She looked a bit sad and Heejin really wanted to pat her head and tell her everything would be ok and she would help her pass the class. She hesitated a bit but reached out to give Hyunjin's hand a quick squeeze. "I'll help you get your grade up, don't worry."

  
Hyunjin blushed, this was the second time they had touched and she couldn't explain what was going on with her body. She felt hot, and excited and nervous all at once. "...Thank you. How about I walk you out to meet with your friend?"

  
Heejin agreed happily and decided to be a little more bold than normal, "Do you think I could have your number? Um, you know, so I can send you art stuff over the weekend that you can study a bit." Hyunjin raised a brow, "Are you gonna give me homework to do??"

  
Heejin gave her a stern look that threw Hyunjin off quite a bit. It was scary, but also....really hot? Heejin saw how confused Hyunjin looked. It's as if she stopped breathing and her eyes were full of worry. Heejin let out a laugh, "Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I might send you an assignment or two...or three."  
Hyunjin gave her an offended look, "Me, scared? No way. Not of you, you are too fluffy." Hyunjin crossed her arms and looked away, nose up in the air. Heejin smirked and poked the girl's arm playfully but making sure to only poke the right arm "You were totally scared."

  
Hyunjin shook her head and picked up her bag, "Never, now hand over your phone so I can give you my number, teacher." Heejin did as she was told and handed her phone over. Hyunjin quickly typed out her name with an added cat emoji next to it. Once she was done, she handed Heejin back the phone. The girl looked at the contact and grinned at the emoji. She picked up her bag and slipped the phone inside.

  
Both girls left the classroom and walked outside. Heejin could see her ride waiting on the corner. She turned to Hyunjin, "Thanks for walking me, my friend is just over there. I'll see you around?" Hyunjin nodded and looked towards the car in the corner but she could only make out two figures sitting in the front. Heejin began to walk away and Hyunjin reached out for her hand, "Hey...um, thanks for doing this. I'm not sure lots of people would want to spend their Friday afternoon tutoring someone. I look forward to the assignments."

  
Heejin blushed and looked down at their hands. Hyunjin quickly let go and awkwardly waved goodbye before running off. Heejin watched her. Her heart was beating quickly. She really wanted to get to know her better. She was going to text her that night, screw it.

  
Heejin heard a car horn and then a loud "Heeeekieeeeeeeeeee!!!!" She was snapped out of her thoughts and quickly sprinted over to the car. One of the girls stepped out with open arms. Heejin ran up to her and gave her a hug, "Jiwoo unnie, I didn't know you were coming too!"

  
The girl named Jiwoo smiled brightly and spoke, almost screamed, "Of course!!!!! We are all going to hang out today at my house. Chaewon and Hyejoo are coming too, and Jungeun and Jinsoul are coming a little later. They both got detention for making out in an empty classroom." Jiwoo laughed loudly, earning her a "shhhh" from inside the car.

  
Heejin looked towards the driver, "Thanks for picking me up, Sooyoung unnie."

  
The driver winked at her, "Hurry up and get in. I just got out of soccer practice and I'm hungry for some of Jiwoo's sandwiches."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, hope you are enjoying. I'll probably update again this Sunday. :D Also I don't know shit about art, this is sort of based on some of the things I learned in high school over a semester haha.


	3. Evening Texts

"So how was your date?" Sooyoung asked, eyes fixated on the road.

  
Heejin groaned quite loudly "Hey, it wasn't a date!! I'm tutoring her since she's failing her art class. I need to get her grade up or else she'll lose her spot on her soccer team and fail the year."  
  
Sooyoung raised a brow and seemed to be thinking, "Hyunjin is the girl I injured during a game. Do you think you could set something up so I can apologize to her? I really didn't do it on purpose. I was running so fast that I couldn't stop myself in time and I know I hurt her pretty bad."  
  
Heejin was confused, "You're the one who did that to her?"  
  
Sooyoung rolled her eyes and began parking her car in the driveway attached to Jiwoo's home. "Yeah, and you'd know if you actually came to the games." Heejin shrugged. She didn't go to games for a good reason. She loved to pass by during practice and see Hyunjin playing and just directing the team, but there was definitely a fan club for her and Heejin didn't want to be annoying and stand around watching her like a creep. But then again, watching her from a very far away distance was probably creepy too. Whatever.  
  
"Sorry unnie, I don't really understand soccer."  
  
Sooyoung chuckled and nudged Jiwoo in a "watch this" kind of way. "Maybe you can ask your future girlfriend to teach you. And then you can watch her play and cheer her on. Oh boy will she get wet from you telling her how awesome she is." Heejin turned beet red and opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. Jiwoo punched the older girl hard, "Leave her alone, can't you see this is an innocent kind of love??" Heejin turned an even darker shade of red, "Just...shut up both of you."  
  
They exited the car and Jiwoo went up to Heejin and hugged her side, "Aw come on Heejin, don't you feel lucky? You've had a crush on that girl for so long and now you get to spend time alone with her."  
  
Well, things had worked out in her favor in a way. "I mean, yes, I'm happy about it, but she's pretty upset about being injured and that makes me feel bad." Jiwoo shook her head, "No, that wasn't your fault. It's that tall dumb dumb's fault for being a brute."  
  
Sooyoung sighed, "I know, I did bad. I'll apologize when I can. Now can we please go inside, babe? It's hot out and I'm super hungry." Jiwoo scoffed and led the way, "You are only with me because of my sandwiches."  
  
"And the booty of course." Jiwoo went to punch the taller girl again but Sooyoung grabbed her hand and gave it a kiss. Heejin began mumbling behind them "You are both so gross oh my god." Sooyoung stuck her tongue out at the younger girl, "Just you watch, pretty soon you will be as gross as us."  
  
Heejin shook her head, "Never."  
  
They entered the home and there was screaming coming from the living room.  
  
"Oh my god, I told you to stand there while I leap off of you!!"  
"I am standing there, you aren't landing on me properly!!"  
"Because you keep moving!!"  
"No, I'm not!"  
"YES YOU ARE!!"  
  
The girls heard the sound of a struggle and Sooyoung sprinted further inside to see what was wrong. There was a blonde girl on top of a raven haired girl and she had her arms pinned to her back. Sooyoung sighed.

"Chaewon, get off of Hyejoo!!"  
"NEVER!!"  
  
The girl being pinned was struggling to move around until Sooyoung came over and quickly lifted the tiny blonde off of her. Chaewon continued to thrash around but Sooyoung held her firmly.  
  
"I swear, you two act like children. It's just a damn game."  
  
Hyejoo got up and lunged forward to reach for Chaewon, but she was grabbed by Jiwoo who held her firmly in place. "No, you both are going to stop fighting and make up right now or else you aren't getting any sandwiches." Both girls gasped and settled down. Chaewon, whispered "You wouldn't do that, would you? We'll behave, right Hyejoo?"  
  
Hyejoo nodded furiously. "We'll settle down. Let's play gain, Chaewon." The girls dusted themselves off and went to sit back down in front of the tv to play. Sooyoung and Jiwoo glared at them but went to the kitchen to begin preparing some food. Heejin had gone to sit on one of the recliners during the whole show. She was used to it. Both of her friends loved to play games but they would always fight over the most minimal thing. Hyejoo grabbed a third controller and handed it to Heejin, "Come on unnie, you play too." Heejin sat next to Hyejoo and the girl whispered in her ear, "I was just letting Chaewon overpower me. I'm way stronger than her. You know that, right?"  
  
Heejin rolled her eyes, "Right, Hyejoo. There's no way Chaewon was kicking your ass." Hyejoo smirked, unable to understand the sarcasm. Heejin looked behind her and could see Sooyoung and Jiwoo in the kitchen. Sooyoung was very visibly groping the other girl, who was only giggling and pulled her in for a kiss. Heejin turned back to the game, feeling like she shouldn't be watching her friends be gross together. She tried to focus on the game but her mind wouldn't let her. She imagined Hyunjin smiling at her and pulling her close to whisper in her ear....  
  
"Unnie!!! You aren't paying attention!! We are going to lose!!!!!!!" Hyejoo waved in her face. Heejin snapped out of her thoughts.  
  
"Shit, sorry sorry."  
  
The girls resumed their game but Heejin could feel some heat on her cheeks. She coudn't wait to text Hyunjin later that night.  
\--------  
  
"Ahhhhh, why am I so awkward." Hyunjin was sprinting to the soccer field, muttering angrily to herself. "I can't believe I just ran off like that. Heejin must think I'm so weird." Hyunjin gripped her bag tighter and came to a full stop. She let out a sad sigh. This is exactly why she didn't bother with anything other than sports. She was just too awkward.  
  
"Unnie, unnie!!!"  
  
Hyunjin heard some screeching from behind her. It was the group of girls that were always following her and cheering for her at her games. A group of 5 freshmen that Hyunjin didn't know how to get off her ass. Hyunjin braced herself. She didn't want to be mean but she also wanted to be left alone.  
  
Hyunjin smiled at them, "Hey girls, what's up?" They all began talking almost at once.  
  
"We heard you were injured. Are you ok?"  
"Can we help you with anything?"  
"Do you want us to carry your books?"  
"I can give you a ride home, unnie. My mom would be ok with it."  
"I can give you a massage, unnie."  
  
Hyunjin raised a brow at that last one. There girls were a bit fresh sometimes and she wasn't trying to get in trouble. "Um, it's ok girls. I don't need any help. I'm just going to check on the soccer team and then go home. I appreciate your kindess though."  
  
The girls looked sad. They had hoped that the star goalie would take their help.  
  
"Ok unnie, we understand. But please let us know if you need anything. We are here to help."  
  
Hyunjin gave them a thumbs up and she continued to walk to the soccer field. She could hear yelling in the distance. She narrowed her eyes, trying to see what was going on. Yerim was blowing a whistle and leading the team in laps around the field. Haseul was behind them all and making sure everyone was keeping a good pace. Hyunjin walked a bit more until she reached the bleachers. She took a seat and watched over her team. The girls took notice and they all waved at their captain. She looked down at her watch. It was 4:15. Practice ended at 5pm. She would stay until they finished. Even if she couldn't participate, she wanted to be there for her team.  
  
"Why haven't you gone home yet?" Hyunjin heard a small voice next to her. "Oh, hey Kahei unnie. I didn't feel like going home yet and I want to make sure everything is going well. Cheerleading practice finished early today?" "Yeah, I let everyone leave early since it's Friday."  
  
Kahei scooted closer to Hyunjin's right side and leaned her head on her shoulder. "How was tutoring? Isn't Heejin super talented?" Hyunjin nodded her head, "Yes, she is. I felt at ease with her. I expected her to be sort of stuck up, but she never even mentioned anything about her work being in museums or anything. She was really nice to me and she's really cute."  
  
Kahei pulled away from the younger girl, "Cute? Did Sooyoung injure your head too?" Hyunjin scoffed, "Hey, I'm capable of being attracted to people too, you know. I just choose not to focus on it." Kahei looked at her sternly, "Well, don't focus too much on how cute she is. You still need to pass your class. Make sure to do everything she says and don't be an ass to her. She's a really nice girl."  
  
Hyunjin was unsure of what to say. She just shrugged, "She's just helping me pass the class is all." Kahei just made a hmph sound and remained quiet. Kahei didn't want to say much but she actually knew Heejin. They had been friends for a while. In fact, Kahei used to date Sooyoung, but she would never tell Hyunjin. She knew the girl hated Sooyoung with a passion. It would be found out eventually but Kahei just didn't want there to be any tension in their group. Haseul knew about it, and that's all that really mattered at the moment.  
  
"Kahei!!"  
  
The girls turned their attention to the person yelling. It was Haseul waving at them. Kahei waved back and blew a kiss in her direction. Haseul caught it and placed it against her lips. Hyunjin groaned. "Oh my god, you are both so extra and gross." Kahei giggled, "You'll be gross and extra too one day. Just you watch."  
  
Hyunjin shook her head, "Never."  
  
She then looked down at her watch. It was 5:05. Practice was done. "Are you ready to go home?" Kahei nodded and they both gathered their things. The older girl helped Hyunjin pack up her bag and they set out to meet with Haseul and Yerim. They all lived on the same row of houses which would explain their close friendship.  
  
Haseul immediately latched herself onto Kahei's arm and they walked a little further ahead. Yerim latched herself onto Hyunjin's right arm and gave her a bright smile. "How's your arm doing?" Hyunjin sighed, "It's alright, I just feel extra exhausted from everything today." Yerim frowned and brushed away some hair from Hyunjin's cheek, "I can't even imagine how you must be feeling, unnie. Did the tutoring go ok? Heejin is amazing isn't she?"  
  
"Yeah...yeah she is."  
\-----  
Hyunjin walked out of her shower, put on her pjs and settled down to relax in bed. She was really tired. The day had finally caught up to her and she just wanted to sleep. Her mother had fed her a nice dinner and she was definitely feeling it. She closed her eyes and began to think about the day. She was definitely upset about failing her class, but having someone like Heejin tutoring her was like a blessing. Heejin was really beautiful and talented and really down to earth. Hyunjin was surprised that she never once spoke about her achievements and was genuinely concerned about her and trying to help. She could become more interested in art if Heejin was the one teaching her. Maybe she could even become more interested in Heejin too...  
  
Hyunjin felt herself dozing off but a low jingle and vibration went off on her nightstand. She rubbed her eyes and reached over to look at her phone.  
  
_Hey, are you awake? It's Heejin._  
  
Hyunjin stared at the message and small smile formed on her lips. She added the number to her contacts and added a bunny emoji next to Heejin's name. She was cute and fluffy and Hyunjin remembered the painting that Heejin had been working on.  
  
_Hyunjin: I was dozing off a bit, but that's ok. What's up?  
_  
_Heejin: Oh, I'm really sorry. I can leave you alone if you want.  
_  
_Hyunjin: No, it's ok. I don't mind. It's a bit early anyway. Don't want to wake up too early tomorrow.  
_  
_Heejin: Do you have a sleep schedule or something?  
_  
_Hyunjin: I do. I'm used to jogging early in the morning and then some weight training. But I can just go jogging for now.  
_  
_Heejin: Well that explains your nicely toned arms. ;)  
_  
Hyunjin stared at her phone, unsure of what to say. She had been told things before, but when Heejin said it it really made her heart race. She didn't even know her well but her words made her feel a certain type of way. She couldn't even describe it. She received another message before she could respond.  
  
_Heejin: Maybe when you heal up you can help me exercise? I feel a bit flabby.  
_  
_Hyunjin: No way, you are perfect. I can help you for sure but you don't really need to do much.  
_  
_Heejin: Thank you <3 I hope we can set something up in the future.  
_  
Hyunjin smiled. It was nice to think that maybe their contact could extend further than just some tutoring sessions.  
  
The girls continued to text and when Hyunjin looked at the time. It was already past 11. Talking to Heejin had given her a boost of energy but sleep was creeping up on her and she did need to go for her morning jog.  
  
_Hyunjin: Hey Heejin, I'm going to head to bed now. My eyelids are feeling heavy.  
_  
_Heejin: Right, I didn't even realize how late it was. Sorry for keeping you up.  
_  
_Hyunjin: You didn't, I enjoyed talking to you a lot.  
_  
_Heejin: Would it be ok to talk again tomorrow night?  
_  
_Hyunjin: I'd really like that. :3  
_  
_Heejin: Great! Goodnight Hyunjin, hope you feel even better tomorrow. <3  
_  
_Hyunjin: Thanks, I hope so too. Goodnight Heejin. <3_  
  
Hyunjin set her phone down on her nightstand and closed her eyes.  
  
She fell asleep with a huge grin on her face.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Thanks to everyone who has left kudos and comments. They make me smile. :D


	4. Friendship Goals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing too major in this chapter. Mostly Hyunjin and Yerim being bros. No homo tho. :D

_Ring, Ring, Ring_

_Ring, Ring, Ring_  
_Ring, Ring, R---  
_  
"Ahh god damn it, shut up already." Hyunjin turned off the alarm on her phone and tossed it aside. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, making a groaning sound as she adjusted her vision to the dark room. It was 5am. She got up and stretched a little. She felt sore and her arm hurt. Maybe she had slept on it. "Man, that's no good." The bandages on her arm were too tight so she decided to just take them off in the meantime. She looked at the damage to her arm. It was still badly bruised. She was lucky the bone wasn't broken.  
  
She still couldn't believe how badly she had gotten hurt but Sooyoung walked away without a scratch. Hyunjin mumbled to herself, "Bitch has got to be some kind of super saiyan."  
  
Hyunjin decided she'd better not dwell on it and call Yerim to see if she was awake. She went to the bathroom and dialed her number as she brushed her teeth. Yerim picked up on the third ring and Hyunjin heard a sleepy hello.  
  
"You awake?" Hyunjin was talking with a mouth full of toothpaste.  
"Of course, unnie! I wouldn't be answering if I was still snoring in bed."  
  
Hyunjin spit out her toothpaste, ready to be a smartass but decided to give the younger girl a pass. Hyunjin loved to pick on her but Yerim was working so hard filling in for her, she just didn't have the heart to.  
  
"Ok, ok, you got me there. Just let me know when you are ready and I'll go see you."  
  
Yerim agreed and they both hung up. Hyunjin picked out some comfortable clothing and put her hair up. The most important thing however, was the pouches of cat food. She stuffed several bags in a small bookbag she always carried, along with some paper plates and a bag. She always made sure to pick up after the cats or else the neighbors would get angry and she didn't want to run the risk of people harming them.  
  
She received a text from Yerim and she headed on her way. As she walked along the front yard she saw a cat in the distance. It started running towards her and she put a hand up.  
  
"Hold on buddy, I gotta pick up Yerim first!"  
  
The cat stopped in its tracks and sat down on the sidewalk. It watched the girl curiously as she sprinted over to her friend's house. Yerim was already waiting outside and the girls began to walk a bit together. Hyunjin pointed over to the cat and they headed towards it.  
Hyunjin bent down and served the cat its food. It meowed loudly and Hyunjin put a finger to her lips. "Quiet little guy, let me set this up properly." Once she was done, the cat attacked the food and both girls grinned.  
  
"Hyunjin are you gonna be a crazy cat lady when you are older?"  
  
Hyunjin shrugged, "Possibly."  
  
Yerim clung to her, "No, please unnie. Promise me you will meet someone nice and get married." Hyunjin only laughed. It was a silly thing to think about. Hyunjin had never really thought about her future or having any kind of relationship. She was about to be a smartass when she heard Yerim gasp.

"Unnie, where are the bandages on your arm?!"  
  
Hyunjin flinched, it was too early for loud voices. She looked down at her arm. She had absentmindedly rolled up her sleeves while feeding the cat.  
  
"Shh, calm down Yerim. Mom wrapped them too tight. It was hurting this morning."  
  
Yerim pressed her fingertips lightly against the older girl's arm. "Oh unnie, is it painful now?"  
  
"I'm ok right now. I just felt uncomfortable with those bandages on."  
  
Yerim furrowed her eyebrows and looked a little upset. "Hyunjin, you need to keep the bandages on, at least these first few days. I'm telling on you."  
Hyunjin rubbed her temples and sighed deeply. She wasn't sure who would be told. Would it be her mother or Haseul? Both would be a nightmare to deal with.  
"Ok, fine Yerim. I'll do as you say. Can you help me with them when we finish our jog? I don't want to wake up my mother." Yerim quickly nodded her head. Of course she was going to help. Yerim just wanted Hyunjin to get better as soon as possible. Not because she wanted her to take over again, but because she didn't like to see her friend down. Hyunjin loved playing soccer. It was her passion.  
  
Yerim often worried about her friend. Hyunjin was bright and confident on the field but she was very shy and withdrawn in their everyday lives. She liked to keep to herself most of the time and would take a backseat whenever they all hung out together. However, it never stopped her from being a smartass or being the funniest one of their group. With Hyunjin around there was never a dull moment. Yerim loved her best friend and always wanted the best for her. So she would do whatever it takes to make sure she was always happy.  
  
The girls jogged for about an hour and decided to head back to Hyunjin's place. Her father had a garage decked out with gym equipment. When Hyunjin had shown interest in sports and fitness, he went out and got her everything she might need.  
  
"I guess I'll just watch you, Yerim. I can't do any weight training obviously." Hyunjin sat on a bench and hunched over, placing her chin on palms of her hands.  
"Yes, just help me with my form if needed. You need to rest that arm for now. Doctor said you should be good in about 3 weeks, right?"  
Hyunjin nodded, "Yeah but next week I need to start doing some exercises for the muscle."  
  
"Ok, unnie, I'll help you with those, don't worry." Yerim winked at her, causing her to blush slightly. She knew she could count on Yerim for anything.  
Hyunjin felt a bit bored just watching Yerim do some lifting so she decided to go look at herself in the mirror. She pulled off her hoodie and began to flex her muscles. She never thought much of them but Heejin had mentioned they were nice and she couldn't disagree with her. She smirked at herself and caught Yerim watching her intently.

"Unnie, you are being so weird. Why are you checking out your arms?"  
  
Hyunjin flexed one more time and sat back down on the bench.  
  
"Heejin said I had nice arms when we talked last night. I think she's right."  
  
Yerim raised a brow, not because of Hyunjin's self praise but because she was talking to Heejin. "You guys talked last night?"  
  
Hyunjin then explained how she had given Heejin her number and they had spoken for a couple of hours the previous night. Yerim was definitely surprised. It wasn't like Hyunjin to just give her number out or speak to somebody that wasn't in their friends group.  
  
"I'm a little surprised. You don't usually speak to people outside of school."  
  
Hyunjin wasn't quite sure about it either. Yerim was right. She didn't like to have too many friends and she didn't like to socialize outside of school unless it was with her close friends.  
  
"I don't know. I felt comfortable with her. It's strange I guess. I didn't even know who she was before this."  
  
"Exactly....could it be that you have a little crush on her?"  
  
Hyunjin scoffed, "No way. She's just very nice and I'd be ok with having her as a friend is all. She fits my standards."  
  
Yerim looked at Hyunjin with a shit eating grin and thought it would be a good time to tease her. She got close to Hyunjin on the bench and cupped her hands together and put them near her chin.  
  
"Oh Heejin, you are so talented. Please help me pass this course. I'll do anything. You are so lovely and sweet to me. I--I think I might have a crush on you. I may look serious on the outside but I'm a huge softie on the inside. Please...accept my feelings."  
  
Hyunjin flicked Yerim's forehead and pushed her away. "Shut up Yerim."  
  
Yerim giggled and poked Hyunjin on the chest, "Oh come on, you can't tell me she doesn't awaken some type of feelings within you. She's really pretty. Have you seen her profile? She's a goddess."  
  
Hyunjin looked away to hide her blush. Heejin's profile was one of the first things she had noticed and it left her speechless.  
  
"Oh my god, yerim. Please stop. Hurry up and finish your set so you can go shower and then we can nap. I'm tired."  
  
Yerim pouted but complied, "Alright alright, lighten up unnie. I'm only poking fun at you. It's ok if you think she's cute."  
  
Hyunjin ignored her and picked up her towel, "Anyway, I'm gonna shower and then I'll be in my room. Your stuff is in the usual spot."  
  
Hyunjin left the annoying girl in the garage and headed to the shower near her room. This was their weekend routine. They would wake up early to jog and work out and then Yerim would stay to shower and they would just talk or take a nap together in Hyunjin's bed. Hyunjin's home was practically Yerim's second home and it had been that way for years.  
  
Hyunjin hopped into the shower and let the warm water run down her body. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, just letting herself relax for a few minutes. But it seemed she lost track of time.  
  
"Unnie hurry up! You are gonna use up all the hot water."  
  
Hyunjin snapped out of her moment and poked her head out of the shower curtains. "I'm gonna use it all up and you are going to take a cold shower for teasing me earlier."  
  
"No, unnie, pleaasseeeee."  
  
Hyunjin disappeared back into the shower and giggled to herself. Yerim was always mature and positive at school but she was still younger and could definitely be immature when she was with Hyunjin.  
  
"Pass me the towel, slave."  
  
She could hear the girl whine but she threw the towel over the curtain rod anyway. Hyunjin exited and Yerim was standing there, wrapped in her own towel.  
"Damn it, Yerim, this is gay."  
  
"Oh come on, we've done this same exact routine for like five years already."  
  
"And it doesn't stop being gay."  
  
Yerim rolled her eyes and entered the shower, throwing the towel at Hyunjin in the process.  
  
"Just wait until you get out Yerim." She placed the towel back on the rack.  
  
Yerim poked her head out from the shower and blew a kiss at Hyunjin. She caught the kiss and pretended to throw it in the trash and walked out of the bathroom, cackling as quietly as she could. She could hear the younger girl complaining but she ignored it and closed the door behind her.  
  
Hyunjin sat on her bed, drying her hair as best as she could. She picked up her phone and scrolled through her twitter feed as she waited for her best friend to come and join her. She made herself comfortable against the head board of her bed and felt her eyes closing a little. But she couldn't sleep yet. She decided to look back at the messages from Heejin. She had learned quite a bit about the girl. Besides painting, she loved to sing and play guitar. She was heavily into Naruto and even collected some merch from the anime. She wanted a pet rabbit but she was allergic to any kind of animal fur. Heejin was very down to earth and didn't like anything flashy.  
  
"What are you looking at, unnie?"  
  
Yerim walked in, towel wrapped around her head, and took a seat next to the older girl.  
  
"Nothing. Just scrolling through some memes. Hurry and put my bandages on, slave."  
  
Yerim pouted, "Unnie, you are so mean. I do nothing but love you and this is how you treat me." She went to get the bandages and pretended to fake cry. "Give me you arm, bitch."  
  
Hyunjin scoffed, "That's not how you talk to an ailing patient." Yerim mocked her, "ThAt'S noT hoW YOu taLK tO an AiLing paTIENt."  
  
The girls laughed and Yerim gently redid the bandages on Hyunjin's arm. It was tight but Hyunjin needed to deal with it.  
  
"Thanks, Yerim. Let's nap for a bit. Should we round up the girls later for a trip to the arcade?"  
"Sure, let's make Haseul drive us in the van. We need to pick up Chaewon and Hyejoo too."  
  
They both agreed and began to get comfortable in Hyunjin's bed. Yerim snuggled up to Hyunjin's right side and placed her head on her chest. Hyunjin pulled her closely and kissed the top of her head.  
  
"Unnie?"  
"Mhm?"  
"This is the gayest thing ever."  
  
Hyunjin smiled, "I guess it is."  
  
\---------  
"Yeojin, shut up, oh my god."  
  
Hyunjin zipped up her hoodie all the way and pulled the strings to cover her ears. As soon as they had sat in the car, Yeojin began to ask her a million questions. She was Haseul's little sister but they were nothing alike. Haseul was calm and cool, a little bit of a ditz sometimes, but she was the self appointed mother of their group. Yeojin was exactly what you'd think a younger sister was. She was the youngest of their group and loved to annoy the living hell out of everyone.  
  
"But unnie, I haven't seen you since last week and now you suddenly have bandages on your arm!! I want to know what happened."  
  
Hyunjin covered her face and pretended that Yeojin wasn't sitting in front of her.  
  
"Unnie, pleaseeee pleaseeeeeeee."  
  
Hyunjin pointed a finger at the girl. "Yeojin, don't think that because Haseul is your sister, I won't kick your ass right now."  
Haseul chuckled from the driver's seat, never taking her eyes off the road. "You have my permission to do it. She's been asking non stop about you. Even Kahei over here looked like she was losing her patience."  
  
Kahei, who was usually very sweet and patient, rolled her eyes and punched Haseul's arm to silence her. She turned back to Yeojin, "Leave Hyunjin alone. If she wants to talk about it she will."  
  
"But unnie---"  
"Yeojin sweetie, I will tell your mother."  
  
Yeojin's mouth instantly closed and she sat correctly in her seat and looked out the window. That's all it took. The sisters' mom was kind of scary. She was nice...but scary when she needed to be.  
  
Hyunjin looked up at the rear view mirror and saw Kahei looking at her. She winked at her and Hyunjin mouthed a silent "Thank you." She knew Yeojin didn't mean any harm but it was just too much to handle sometimes. She loved the teen but she was still pretty immature at times. It drove her crazy.  
  
Yerim, who was sitting next to Hyunjin, gave her hand a gentle squeeze.  
  
"You want to play a dancing game? I feel like if we play Street Fighter it's going to hurt your forearm."  
"Yeah that's fine. I mostly want to eat."  
"But unnie we literally had a stack of pancakes this morning."  
"So? The arcade has nachos!"  
  
"I want nachos!!" Yeojin's silence lasted about two minutes. Hyunjin reached forward and ruffled the girl's hair. "I'll get you some nachos, you little shit." Yeojin cheered, seemingly forgetting that she had been threatened with parental intervention.  
  
They reached Hyejoo's home and saw that she and Chaewon were sitting on the front steps and hunched over a Nintendo 3DS. Haseul honked the horn and the girl's jumped slightly. The girls in the car laughed as they watched the girls outside gather their things and approach them. They stepped in, greeting their friends.  
  
"Hey girls, how's everyone?" Chaewon was always cheery and happy to see her friends. The tiny blonde situated herself next to Yeojin and pulled Hyejoo next to her. Hyejoo's voice was slow and steady, "Heyyyyy."  
  
The girls chatted in the car, catching up with each other and telling jokes. Hyunjin perked up in the presence of the two girls. She didn't get to see them often and it was nice when they were all able to hang out. However, she didn't want to tell them about her injury. She was ok with Yerim doting over her but she didn't need everyone to do it.  
  
After about twenty minutes they reached the mall. Kahei handed Haseul some money to pay for parking and they set off to enter the arcade. Yeojin ran to the card machine and quickly reloaded her balance. She ran off to go play the claw machines. Haseul yelled after her, "Hey, wait up, you can't go by yourself." She ran after her with Kahei right behind her. The four remaining girls stuck together and headed over to the games. Chaewon and Hyejoo went straight for the racing games and Yerim and Hyunjin headed to the dancing games. They played a few songs but quickly grew tired and watched the other two girls race each other. They were very competitive but it was obvious that Hyejoo would let Chaewon win a lot of the time.  
  
Hyunjin nudged Yerim, "She's letting her win this time." Yerim agreed, "Hyejoo is so whipped for her but she doesn't know how to go about it. Seems like she's stuck in elementary school and all she knows how to do is pick on Chaewon."  
  
Just as Yerim said that, Chaewon won the game and let out a cheerful "Assa!!!" Hyejoo got off the "motorcyle" and went to flick Chaewon's forehead, "Yah, I had a bad run. I'm still better than you." Chaewon looked about ready to throw a fit but the older girls butted in. Yerim placed a hand on Chaewon's shoulder, "Why don't we go get something to eat?" She led her away so they could go find the other girls.  
  
Hyunjin punched Hyejoo's arm roughly, "Why do you have to be so mean to her? Just tell her you like her and be done with it." Hyejoo's normally stoic expression turned into embarrassment.  
  
"Huh? I don't like her. What are you talking about?"  
  
"Hyejoo, let's be real here. You obviously like her a lot. I've never seen someone pay so much attention to another person. You know everything about her, starting from the actual day she was born and down to how many pokemon cards she has in those three binders. Stop acting like a five year old at recess and treat her right."  
  
Hyejoo fidgeted with the sides of her black t-shirt and she sighed.  
  
"Is it that obvious?"  
"Extremely."  
"Then how come she doesn't notice??" Hyejoo looked frustrated and Hyunjin just shook her head. "Um, because you are mean to her?"  
  
Hyejoo sighed and leaned against the back of the "motorcycle." She was deep in thought, trying to think of what she wanted to say.  
  
"I-How can I fix this?"  
  
"Well for starters you can go apologize right now for being a dumbass. But mostly you just need to stop being so mean to her. You want her to like you too, right?"  
  
Hyejoo eagerly nodded her head yes. She was straight up in love with Chaewon.  
  
"Yes, yes I do. I just...have a really hard time showing how I feel. I've never been good with touchy feely stuff."  
Hyunjin reached out and patted the girl's head.

"That's ok. But you really just need to be yourself. Don't force yourself to be someone you aren't. You have your own way of showing you care. Try that with her. And no, letting her win a game occasionally isn't good enough."  
  
"Ok unnie...thank you. I'll go apologize right now."  
  
Hyejoo started to leave but Hyunjin stopped her and handed her some money.  
  
"Give this to Kahei and tell her I want the usual. And use the rest to pay for whatever else. I think that should cover everyone's meal."  
  
Hyejoo took the money and went to search for the other girls. Hyunjin walked up the stairs to the second floor and leaned forward against a railing that overlooked a huge screen that was playing upcoming game trailers. She didn't really pay attention to it and opted to take out her phone. She started scrolling through her twitter feed. She ran into some pretty art and thought maybe she should look up some examples of the thing she need to learn. She struggled to remember the name of the technique.  
  
"Ah...what was it again? Stiffling? Stippling?"  
  
She input the words into the search engine and got what she needed. She wondered what kind of assignment Heejin would give her. She hoped it wouldn't be too hard. She looked through all the pictures she could find and studied them as best as she could.  
  
"Unnie? We got a table, let's go eat."  
  
Hyejoo was standing next to her, with a very visible smile on her face. Seems like something good had happened.  
  
"Did you apologize?"  
"I did."  
"And?"  
"She said it was ok and she gave me a hug."  
  
Hyunjin reached out to feel the girl's shoulders and arms. Hyejoo looked at her curiously, "Unnie?"  
  
Hyunjin laughed, "Just making sure you didn't start melting or something."  
  
Hyejoo blushed and Hyunjin thinks that maybe that's the first time she's seen the girl look flustered.  
  
"Um...thank you unnie."  
"No problem, let's go. I'm starving."  
  
Hyejoo reached over for Hyunjin's hand and they walked down the stairs together.  
  
"Hey unnie, what were you looking at on your phone?"  
  
"Art shit, Hyejoo. I'm failing art and getting help after class from the school's best artist."  
"Are you talking about Jeon Heejin?"  
"Yeah? You know about her too?"  
"She's my friend! We hang out after school sometimes. She plays video games with me and Chae sometimes."  
  
Hyunjin raises a brow. How the hell had she never heard of or met Heejin before all of this?  
  
"How do you know her?"  
  
Hyejoo explained that Heejin lived in her neighborhood but went to Hyunjin's school because it specialized in the arts. Hyejoo was sad when they couldn't go to the same school together but understood that it was best for Heejin and her art.  
  
"I see. I guess I'm lucky she's around."  
  
Hyejoo put a finger up to her chin, "We should all hang out sometime. I think it would be a really great time. And maybe you can meet the other girls that are part of my group too. They enjoy playing soccer as well."  
  
While Hyunjin wasn't too keen on meeting new people, she always did seem to feel more comfortable around people who enjoyed playing soccer as well.  
  
"Sure, sounds like it would be a good idea."


	5. A good person

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So maybe I've made Hyunjin a little too perfect in this fic and all her friends really love her and care for her well being. I just really love Hyunjin, ok? It's been a slow start I feel like, but after this chapter it will move along a little bit more quickly and there's gonna be a lot of fluff. I'm soft for 2jin. 
> 
> Also please let me know if you are confused with the backstory segments. Idk if I executed the transitions between past and present all that well. 
> 
> I'm old guys, I don't remember grammar and all that stuff.

After a day at the arcade Haseul and Kahei dropped off the girls at each of their homes. They were tired. They stayed at the arcade longer than usual and it was mostly because they went to watch Yeojin continuously win plushies from the claw machine. The kid was on a winning streak and the girls had to go cheer her on.   
  
The couple decided that since they had the van to themselves they were going to go for a ride and then take a walk in a nearby park. All throughout the ride Kahei was quiet. She was deep in thought. Haseul could feel something was wrong.   
  
"Babe, are you ok?"   
  
Kahei snapped out of her thoughts. She didn't mean to worry the other girl but she wasn't the best at hiding her feelings.  
  
"I'm worried about Hyunjin."   
  
Haseul kept her eyes on the road but raised a brow.  
  
"About her classes?"   
  
Kahei shook her head, "No, about her and Sooyoung."   
  
Haseul was clearly confused.   
  
"What do you mean?"   
  
"Let's find a parking spot and then I'll explain."  
  
They found a spot near a corner and both exited the van, hand in hand. There was an ice cream truck and Haseul bought two cones. They found a bench to sit on and sat in a comfortable silence while savoring the ice cream. But Haseul needed to know what was going through her girlfriend's mind.   
  
"So what's wrong baby?"  
  
It started two years back. While Haseul knew that at one point Kahei and Sooyoung were an item, she didn't know much else about Sooyoung in general. But she did know that Hyunjin hated her.   
  
Her reasoning was simple. Hyunjin was a third year and was the youngest appointed soccer captain in her school. Hyunjin was playing soccer with Yerim since they were 10 years old and Hyunjin was extremely passionate about it. She spent her time watching games and learning new techniques constantly. She kept herself in the best shape possible. Haseul could count on one hand the times that Hyunjin had gotten sick. The girl was made of steel and she was very disciplined when it came to her fitness. She had worked hard to take the position as captain. Haseul was in her final year and was technically supposed to take the spot but the team had collectively agreed that Hyunjin should be the one.   
  
Hyunjin had faced off against Sooyoung the previous year and hated her as a soccer player. Sooyoung was cocky and rough. Rumor was that Sooyoung had joined in order to get girls and Hyunjin couldn't stand the thought of someone not taking the sport seriously. When Hyunjin had found out that Sooyoung had been appointed captain in the beginning of the year, it only made her dislike the older girl even more. Hyunjin had worked hard to score the spot and someone like Sooyoung came in last minute and got the same position. Hyunjin just couldn't stand it.   
  
And now she had been hurt by the very person she hated. It was a huge blow to her ego.   
  
But why was Kahei worried? Haseul reached over to tenderly stroke the older girl's hand. Kahei responded with a small smile knowing that her girlfriend was waiting for an explanation.  
  
"You know I've been worried about this since the school year started. Whenever we go out I'm nervous that Hyejoo and Chaewon will bring Sooyoung with them for some reason. Can you imagine if Hyunjin was in the same room as Sooyoung?"   
  
Haseul had never thought about it. It was alarming but Hyunjin was a softie.   
  
"Well, I think Hyunjin is mature enough to not do anything stupid...right?"   
  
Kahei looked at her girlfriend, "Hyunjin isn't confrontational but she would close off. She'd leave and be pissed off at all of us. She'd be angry if she knew I'm still friendly with Sooyoung. She'd be pissed that Hyejoo and Chaewon are friends with her. Sooyoung isn't a bad person. She's harmless. She's sweet and caring. She's just rough around the edges and can have a bit of a heavy personality at times."   
  
Haseul ignored the last bits of information and pouted at how much Kahei was praising Sooyoung. Kahei took notice and cupped Haseul's cheeks.   
  
"Don't be a big baby. You are MY perfect 10. The most beautiful, sexy, sweet and caring girlfriend."   
  
Haseul puffed out her chest with pride. Kahei chuckled and gave her girlfriend a quick kiss on the cheek.   
  
"Anyway you big baby, I'm just worried that Hyunjin is going to get caught up in an uncomfortable situation and I really don't want that for her."   
  
Kahei really cared about Hyunjin a lot. She was the first person she met when she first moved into their neighborhood. Kahei was still very sad about leaving the home she lived in all her life and she missed being close to her friends. She had decided to go for a walk the afternoon after they moved in and saw Hyunjin crouched over on the sidewalk. She thought that maybe the girl was hurt so she approached her. She was getting ready to ask if she was ok when she noticed there was a small cat eating in front of the girl. Hyunjin felt a presence behind her and she quickly got up and awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck.

"oh...uh..hello."   
  
Kahei looked down at the small cat and crouched down, "Will it bite me?"  
  
Hyunjin shook her head and crouched down again, "Nah, she's pretty sweet. She won't bite."   
  
Hyunjin demonstrated by gently stroking the top of the cat's head, "See?"   
  
Kahei copied Hyunjin's actions and also stroked the cat's head. She giggled a little after feeling the cat starting to purr. "She is very sweet."   
  
They both stood up and Hyunjin awkwardly reached forward for a handshake. Kahei couldn't help but laugh a little but she shook the girl's hand. It was warm and felt very inviting.   
  
"Uh...I'm Hyunjin. I saw that you moved in earlier today. I live in the house over there. If you ever need help, you can come see me."   
  
"Thank you. I'll keep that in mind. I'm Kahei by the way."  
  
Hyunjin smiled at her and they parted ways.   
  
Kahei could never forget that first encounter but she especially couldn't forget when they ran into each other at school. She was a little lost and was struggling to find her class. There were a lot of people in the hallway and she was very overwhelmed. The only person who could have helped her at the time was Heejin but she was out the first day of classes and they had never been too close. Kahei was on the verge of tears when she felt a hand reach out to grab hers. It was Hyunjin and there was another girl standing next to her.   
  
"Kahei? You ok?"   
  
Kahei shook her head and wiped away at the tears forming in her eyes, "I don't know where my next class is." She handed her schedule over to the younger girl.   
"Oh, that's Haseul's next class. It seems like you have the same schedule she has. Yo Haseul, help her out and be her guide." The girl standing next to Hyunjin perked up and smiled.   
  
"Sure! I'm happy to help." She extended her hand forward and Kahei took it in hers. She felt herself blush a little. Haseul was really pretty.   
  
Kahei would always be thankful for having met Hyunjin. Even if Hyunjin kept some distance with people, she never hesitated to help anyone who was struggling.  
  
"But babe, why are you more worried about stuff now?"  
  
The answer was quite simple and Kahei was surprised Haseul didn't notice it earlier.   
  
"Heejin. Didn't you see Hyunjin's heart eyes after Yerim asked her how tutoring went?"   
  
Haseul hadn't noticed.   
  
"Um...I'll admit I didn't pay attention to what she was saying. I was busy staring at you in your cheerleading uniform."   
  
Kahei rolled her eyes and punched the girl in the arm.   
  
"Get your mind out of the gutter, you pervert."  
  
Haseul pouted and rubbed her arm, "But babyyyy...."   
  
"Shush, now help me figure out how to deal with this situation."   
  
Haseul shrugged, "I think you might be worrying too much. Hyunjin has a good head on her shoulders. I think she can deal and she won't get too angry."  
  
"Well...for Hyunjin's sake, I hope you are right."   
\----------  
"Would 7 be too early? Maybe I should try at 8? But what if she's expecting a text at 7 and I text at 8 but she's already busy doing something else because I sent a text too late!?"   
  
Heejin was pacing back and forth in her room. She had spent all day at home working on some paintings but the day seemed to drag on and all she could think about was what time she should text Hyunjin. She had it bad. She wanted to talk to the girl so much and it was driving her crazy. Hyunjin was even more attractive than she could ever imagine.   
  
She had formed a huge crush on the girl at the start of the year when she briefly saw her playing soccer. Heejin was feeling a bit down that day. She couldn't get herself to paint anything new so she decided to take a walk around the school. She had stopped near the soccer field when she heard some yelling. It was Hyunjin who was encouraging her team members. Heejin could only look on in awe as Hyunjin spoke firmly but kindly to her team. She stood tall and gave off such a positive energy.   
  
So from that moment on, Heejin thought about any way she could approach the girl. Hyunjin always seemed to be with another girl and they were almost inseperable. Heejin did have a connection with Kahei but they had never been super close and Heejin thought it would be rude if she just talked to her in order to get to Hyunjin. She couldn't even approach her during her practice because there was always a group of five girls trying to get Hyunjin's attention. There was no way she would be lumped in with them.   
  
Heejin stared at her phone. It was 7:08pm. She clicked on contacts and was about to scroll down to Hyunjin when she received a message.   
  
_Hyunjin: "Hey Heejin, how are you? :3"_  
  
Heejin let out a squeal and threw herself on her bed and began to roll around. Hyunjin had texted her first. She calmed herself down and took a deep breath. She didn't want to come off as crazy or anything.   
  
_Heejin: "Hey Hyunjin! I'm doing ok, been working on a new piece today. How are you doing?"_  
  
 _Hyunjin: "I'm fine, came back from an arcade day with my friends a little while ago. I'm just relaxing a bit. Figured we could talk. Hope you aren't too busy. I wasn't sure what time you'd be available and didn't want to text too late. But if you are busy then please tell me. I don't want to be bothering you._  
  
 _Hyunjin: "Ahhh, sorry for rambling so much."_  
  
Heejin looked at her phone and felt her heart swell. Hyunjin had also been unsure what time would be good to talk. It was cute. Hyunjin was just really really cute.   
  
_Heejin: "No you aren't rambling...it's ok haha. I'm not busy at all. I'm also relaxing."_   
  
Well that wasn't true. Heejin was far from relaxed. She was beyond happy to be talking to Hyunjin.   
  
_Hyunjin:"Well, I'm glad to hear. I didn't want to be bothering you. I did want to ask something though. Do you have anything for me to work on?"_   
  
That was the first thing Heejin had done that day. Her priority was making sure Hyunjin would pass her class and not lose the spot on her team.   
  
_Heejin: "Yup, I have some images I'd like for you to try and replicate."_   
  
Heejin sent them over and waited for a response. She had hoped that what she sent wasn't too difficult and hopefully Hyunjin would take the initiative to put her own spin on it.   
  
_Hyunjin:"Man Heejin, these look hard. But let me try real quick."_  
  
 _Heejin: "noooooo, I didn't think they would be hard. Just please try."_   
  
Heejin waited a bit but got no response from Hyunjin. She decided to give her some time. She scrolled through twitter and laughed at the funny things that were popping up. She wanted to share them with Hyunjin but thought that meme sharing was something more for closer friends. She hoped to get to that point with Hyunjin eventually.   
  
She heard the familiar tone coming from her phone and saw in the message preview that Hyunjin had sent an image. It was a somewhat wonky looking seashell and Hyunjin had made sure to put her hand in the picture. She was making a peace sign. Heejin laughed out loud. She was thankful Hyunjin wasn't sitting right next to her or else she would have pouted.   
  
_Heejin: "Hmmm, make it bigger. And add some more shading to the outer part of the shell."_  
  
 _Hyunjin: "Kay, wait a sec."_   
  
Again Hyunjin went quiet and Heejin went back to scrolling through her Twitter. She was really tempted to send the girl a video and she decided to hold off until Hyunjin had succeeded in her so called "assignment". Hyunjin was taking a little longer than last time and Heejin was preparing to ask if she needed additional help but her phone alerted her to a message. Heejin opened it up and she smiled like a goof. Hyunjin had sent a picture of herself with the notebook next to her face. She was making a sad face. She had made the shell and also added a little starfish next to it. It was only slightly better but at least she was trying.   
  
_Heejin: "Well it's better than the first one. You just need to work on the sizing and proportions. Try one more time? It's a bit hard to give more direction through texting. Hold onto those pictures and I'll make some fixes on Tuesday."_   
  
_Hyunjin: "Yes, teacher. Hold on."_   
  
Their evening continued on with Hyunjin showing Heejin her third attempt. It was much better than the first two and Heejin was pleasantly surprised with how well Hyunjin was doing.   
  
_Heejin: "Hey you are doing pretty well. Were you practicing or something?"_  
  
_Hyunjin: "Well, I was looking at a lot of different pictures and some videos."_  
  
 _Heejin: "That's awesome. I honestly didn't think you'd get super invested in this. I have about a month and a half to get you back on track. Besides creating a final piece of art combining all the techniques you've learned, there will also be a written part. That part is easy. It's just a lot of definitions and explanations and some other random stuff. But you are smart, it will be a breeze for you._  
  
 _Hyunjin:"Haha, well I really don't want to fail the year and lose my position in the team. And...I don't want to let you down either. You are taking time out of your life to help me after school."_  
  
If only Hyunjin knew that Heejin didn't mind at all. She was happy to help the girl and hopefully get closer to her. She wanted to tell her as much but she received another message.   
  
_Hyunjin: "LOL look at this cat."_   
  
Heejin opened up the link and it was a video of a cat meowing into a microphone. It was funny but Heejin really wanted to assure Hyunjin that she had no problem helping her and that she was happy to do it. She started typing something something out but Hyunjin sent another message.   
  
_Hyunjin: "Haha this one too. I love cats."_   
  
Heejin sighed. She could tell her another time. Hyunjin was sharing the things she liked with her and Heejin didn't want her to think she wasn't interested. She felt like she had mostly talked about herself the night before and she wanted to learn more about Hyunjin.   
  
_Heejin: "Oh that's so cute! show me more stuff."_   
  
They continued messaging back and forth, sharing various memes and just making light hearted jokes with each other. Heejin was really enjoying talking to the other girl. She was tempted to ask her if she wanted to hang out the next day but thought it was too soon. She thought maybe she could ask her on Tuesday if they could perhaps walk home together. She wasn't even sure where Hyunjin lived but she didn't mind taking a detour.   
  
_Hyunjin:"Hey Heejin, it's that time again. I gotta get up early to jog so I can't stay up too late."_  
  
 _Heejin: "Aww, okay. Do you go every weekend?"_  
  
 _Hyunjin: "Yeah, I go with my best friend Yerim. It's sort of a tradition for us. Jog and then work out some. Sadly, I can only do the jogging for now haha."_  
  
_Heejin:"How's your arm doing?"_  
  
 _Hyunjin:"Pretty sore still. Yerim has been helping me with bandages and stuff. I think I'll be ok with her help. :3"_  
  
 _Heejin:"Well, I'm happy to hear that. Heal up quickly and let's get you back to playing as soon as possible, ok? I'll let you go now. Don't do too much tomorrow, it's Sunday. :)"_  
  
 _Hyunjin:"I'll try. Thanks Heejin. Good night. :3"_   
  
Heejin smiled and set her phone down. She stretched and was about to get up to go brush her teeth when she received another message.  
  
_Hyunjin:"Um, I hope this isn't too bothersome for you but could we talk again tomorrow?"_  
  
Heejin squealed and almost dropped her phone from how shook she was. "ok, ok, cool it jeon heejin. calm down"   
  
_Heejin:"Of course, it's not bothersome at all. I really like you Hyunjin, I hope we can be close friends."_  
  
 _Hyunjin:":D ok, I'm happy. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Goodnight, Heejin. :3"_  
  
 _Heejin: "I'm happy too. Goodnight, Hyunjin :D"_

  
Heejin began to smile so wide that her cheeks started to hurt. Hyunjin was happy to be talking to her. Hyunjin was HAPPY to be TALKING to HER. She set her phone aside and stood up and jogged in place. She had a whole bunch of pent up energy and she needed to shake it off. She took a deep breath and went to go brush her teeth. Anyone watching her would think she had gone nuts. But she hadn't, she was just really happy. She was on cloud nine.   
  
She jumped into bed, yes, JUMPED into bed and scrolled through the messages she had shared with Hyunjin. She looked at the photo Hyunjin had sent her. Even if she was making a silly sad face, she looked cute. Heejin saved it and put it into a secret folder on her phone. The last thing she wanted was someone else to find it. Especially not Sooyoung, she would never stop bothering her about it.   
  
Speaking of Sooyoung, she remembered that the older girl had asked if she could somehow set up a meeting with Hyunjin so she could apologize. Heejin made a mental note to bring it up eventually.   
  
For now, she really just wanted to spend as much alone time with Hyunjin as she could.

 

 


	6. Just Friends

  
It was finally Tuesday. Hyunjin sat with her friends at the lunch table. Yerim was hovering over her arm and Kahei and Haseul were sitting next to each other going over some work in a textbook.

"It's looking a lot better, unnie."   
  
Yerim was examining the battered athlete's forearm with delicate fingers. Hyunjin had to agree. The swelling had gone down quite a bit and she felt a lot less pain. Maybe she would recover sooner than expected.  
  
"But you gotta keep these bandages on, you asshole." Yerim poked Hyunjin's forehead angrily.

"Is this really how you are gonna treat a patient at your clinic?"   
  
The "clinic" being the lunch table that had been organized with some bandages and creams. "Can you hurry up you mean doctor? I'm hungry and I wanna eat already." Hyunjin's stomach started to growl in agreement. Yerim rolled her eyes and carefully rebandaged the hungry girl and organized her "med kit."   
  
"Unnie, you are so lucky that I love you and care for you because this cream stinks and I'm gonna be stuck smelling like it all day."  
  
Hyunjin shrugged, "I stink like it too. Been stinking like it all weekend. Get over it."  
  
"Hey, hey, be nice to each other." Kahei was quick to step in. Since she had moved into their friend group, she had taken the role of mother along with Haseul. But lately she had been more into her role because Haseul had stepped back a bit. Something to do with her blood pressure and the fact that Yeojin would drive her nuts at home. She needed a break from the devils that were her friends. Haseul felt at ease knowing that Kahei could deal with the younger girls at school.   
The girls settled down and took out their lunches. Yerim had packed some of Hyunjin's favorite foods like usual. Haseul nudged Kahei's side and they both watched as Yerim fed Hyunjin, giggling as Hyunjin's face lit up.

Haseul had always been under the impression that her two friends would someday end up dating. They had known each other so long and were very close to each other. Any other person would think they were girlfriends, but they were just friends that really loved each other dearly. Haseul was thankful for the fact. She never wanted any negativity within her circle and she loved the girls as if they were her younger sisters.   
  
"So unnie, you gonna see your future gf later?" Yerim was poking fun at Hyunjin, who only blushed and quickly spoke up. "What are you talking about?"   
  
Yerim smirked, "Heejin of course."  
  
Kahei and Haseul looked at each other and then at Hyunjin, confusion clearly written on their faces. Kahei spoke, "What's that supposed to mean?" Before Hyunjin could answer, Yerim piped up.  
  
"Our shy little Hyunjin over here has been talking to Heejin every night since her first day of tutoring. And every morning during our jogs she's told me everything they've talked about. Isn't it cute? Wouldn't they make a super great couple?"   
  
Hyunjin covered her face with her hands and said nothing. She was embarrassed. When Yerim put it that way it did sound weird. Hyunjin never did like to talk to strangers more than she needed to. But could she consider Heejin a stranger still?   
  
Kahei looked at Hyunjin, who was still covering her face, "Hey, do you like her though? Like for real?" Of course Kahei was concerned. So many things could go wrong in this situation and she wasn't exactly sure how to approach it. She seemed to be the only one worried about it. Yerim had no idea and Haseul still didn't think it was a big deal.   
  
Hyunjin shook her head, still hiding behind her hands. "No, I don't know her. But....I do want to be friends with her."   
  
Yerim let out a "pffft" and laughed, "Yeah right, you have been talking about everything and anything. Pretty soon you are gonna be like Hyejoo, who points out small stuff like "Chaewon has a cute little eye twitch when she laughs.""   
  
Hyunjin looked up from where she was hiding, clearly offended and fired back, "Never!! That's specific gross levels of affection. Hyejoo knows every article of clothing that Chaewon owns because she's been there for every purchase. Hyejoo is beyond levels of "in love". I bet she's gonna ask her to be her girlfriend through Animal Crossing or something."   
  
The girls erupted in laughter because Hyunjin was probably right. After their little incident at the arcade, they expected to meet the girls as girlfriends in their next meetup. They began to talk about the different methods Hyejoo would "pop the question" and Hyunjin thanked her lucky stars because it diverted the attention from her situation.   
  
But Yerim's words had hit her hard. Hyunjin had found herself talking freely to Heejin about many different things in her life. It was rare that she opened up but she couldn't help it. Heejin made her feel comfortable and she didn't ever feel like she was being judged. Hyunjin knew she was weird sometimes and she was lucky that she had a found a few friends almost as weird as she was. Yerim had a fake pet cockroach for god's sake!   
  
The bell sounded and the girls gathered their things and said their goodbyes before heading off to their classes. Hyunjin whispered to Yerim as she passed her by, "You are going to get it later for teasing me. Just you watch." Yerim just stuck her tongue out, "I love you too, unnie. Dont remove that bandage."   
  
Hyunjin rolled her eyes and began heading to her class. She heard a gentle "Wait for me, Hyunjin." Kahei was reaching out for her hand and Hyunjin took it in hers. "What's up unnie?"  
  
"Seriously, what's going on with you and Heejin?"  
  
There wasn't a single hint of teasing in Kahei's tone. She was serious. Hyunjin was a little surprised. Kahei's voice was always very sweet and gentle. It was rare to hear her speak so sternly.   
  
"Nothing at all. I like her as a person and I hope to be friends with her. Why? Is there something I should know?"  
  
"Ah, no no. I just wanted to know what was going on. Just please don't lose focus on the task at hand. Haseul and I graduate this year and we want to make sure you and Yerim are set. I just wish you had told us you were struggling with this class. Haseul, Yerim and I would have all helped you."   
  
Truthfully, Hyunjin knew she wasn't doing well but never thought it would affect her overall grade so much. She was embarrassed to say the least.   
  
"...Sorry, unnie."   
  
Kahei was taken aback by Hyunjin's response and immediately felt guilty. Hyunjin was looking down dejectedly. Kahei gave the younger girl's hand a quick squeeze and cupped her cheek and made her face her.  
  
"Hey...it's ok. You will get through this. How about I bake you some fresh sweet bread for tomorrow morning's breakfast?"  
  
Hyunjin's eyes lit up in excitement, "Really unnie? Can it be chocolate?"  
  
Kahei smiled and nodded her head, "If that's what you want, then yes."   
  
Hyunjin quickly hugged the shorter girl and Kahei couldn't help but hug her back tightly. They let go and kept walking to their classes. Kahei dropped off the younger girl and told her she would see her later. At least Hyunjin had forgotten about her failing class, if even for just a second.

\------  
The final bell rang signaling the end of the day. Hyunjin gathered her things and started heading towards her locker. Her stomach grumbled a little and she took out a snack and leaned against her locker.   
  
"Unnie!"   
  
Hyunjin turned to the direction of the voice, cheeks stuffed with a croissant.  
  
"Yerim, hey. How was math class?"  
  
Hyunjin crumbled up the plastic the croissant came in and tossed it into a nearby trash can. She offered another package to Yerim who took it happily.  
  
"It was better. I managed not to fall asleep this time. Math class at the end of the day is a bad idea."   
  
Hyunjin could relate. Every single last class was a pain in the ass.   
  
"Hey unnie, I wanted to apologize for earlier."  
  
"Huh? For what?"   
  
Yerim pouted a little, cute cheeks puffing out slightly. Hyunjin noticed and internally smiled, but Yerim was serious this time.  
  
"I feel like I teased you a little too much at lunch. You haven't known Heejin for very long and I can see the things I said making you feel uncomfortable. Plus, I wouldn't want Heejin catching wind of the stuff I was saying and then things get awkward during tutoring."  
  
Hyunjin only chuckled and pulled Yerim into her arms for a hug, "Hey, it's ok. I know you didn't mean any harm and we constantly tease each other. I'm not upset and I don't feel uncomfortable. It's embarrassing for sure but that's what we do. Make fun of each other."

Yerim's heart swelled with happiness and she couldn't help but give Hyunjin a quick kiss on the cheek. She was thankful that Hyunjin was always calm and collected. It was rare to see her angry.   
  
"Unnie, you're the best."   
  
"Haha, I know."   
  
They let go of each other but still stood close.  
  
"Unnie, will you be going to monitor practice after your tutoring session?"   
  
Hyunjin shrugged, "I don't know. Not sure how long it will last and honestly I'm a bit tired. I'm not sleeping well."   
  
Yerim understood, "It's ok unnie. I'll take care of it with Haseul. Kahei unnie isn't letting her approach her during her cheerleading practice. I swear I can see Haseul breaking down with each lap we run. She needs her Kahei fix."   
  
Hyunjin laughed knowing all too well that Haseul was whipped.   
  
"Thanks for watching out for the team, Yerim. I really appreciate it."   
  
"My pleasure, just focus on passing and healing up. I gotta go now, unnie. See you later!"   
  
Yerim gave Hyunjin's hand a quick squeeze and headed out the exit to the field. The art room was at the end off the hallway and Hyunjin made her way to it. She was excited and nervous at the same time. It was one thing to text Heejin for a couple of nights and feel comfortable, but sitting with her in person was different. Of course they had spent that Friday afternoon together and Hyunjin had felt comfortable, but she always felt some sort of anxiety over these kinds of things.   
But she needed to brush those feelings aside. She had work to do. She turned the knob of the door and quietly walked in.   
  
"Heejin?"   
  
There was no answer. Hyunjin checked her phone. No messages. She figured maybe she was going to be a bit late. No big deal. She sat down and pulled out her notebook, along with the images she had worked on the previous Saturday. She was getting ready to scroll through her phone when she heard some shuffling coming from outside the door. It stopped for a moment and she heard someone exhale. Then the door knob turned and Heejin walked in.   
  
Hyunjin's breath caught in her throat. Heejin's long hair was wavy and parted down the middle. The top buttons of her blouse were undone, revealing a hint of her collarbone. Hyunjin swallowed down hard. It wasn't a big change but still Heejin looked absolutely dazzling.   
  
"Hey Hyunjin. Sorry I'm a little late."   
  
Heejin approached her, setting down her things next to Hyunjin's on an empty desk. She flashed the girl a smile and sat down right next to her. Suddenly Hyunjin felt very self conscious about the smell of her muscle cream.   
  
"Uh, hey Heejin, it's ok. I think I was a little early anyway. Um, don't mind me, I might stink a little. Yerim's been putting this muscle cream on me and it's really smelly."

Heejin moved a bit closer and began sniffing the air around Hyunjin. Hyunjin felt her face heat up. Heejin was very close to her. Their eyes met and Heejin grinned.  
  
"You smell fine. It's ok."   
  
She moved away and looked at the drawings that Hyunjin had worked on over the weekend. Hyunjin felt like she could pass out at any moment. How could one girl make her feel like mush? Hyunjin was strong and athletic. Her body was almost made out of steel. But Heejin could just smile at her and Hyunjin would cease to function.   
  
"These look better in person, did you work on them some more?"  
  
Hyunjin snapped out of her thoughts, "Yeah, I went looking for some more samples online."  
  
"Hmm, why don't you try stippling from a solid image. No guide."   
  
Heejin pointed to a mug near an easel. Hyunjin stared at it and began to work. Heejin noted she was using the same cat pencils from the week before. She thought maybe once they finished their tutoring she would buy her a cute cat stationary set she had seen as a present for doing so well.   
  
Hyunjin worked on the image for several minutes before setting down her pencil and whispering, "I'm done." Heejin looked down at the image and was surprised with how good it looked.   
  
"Wow Hyunjin, you're doing so well. I'm so proud of you!!"  
  
Heejin couldn't help herself and she put her arms around Hyunjin's shoulders. Hyunjin froze but shakily put her arms around Heejin's torso. It felt right. Heejin was so caught up in the moment she didn't realize what she was doing. She pulled away quickly and folded her hands in her lap.   
  
"Ah, sorry Hyunjin. I shouldn't have done that. I don't know you feel about people touching you. I hope I didn't make you feel uncomfortable. I'm just really happy that you are doing so well and I just cou---"  
  
"It's fine. I accept it from people that I like."   
  
Heejin froze. Like? Hyunjin liked her? Surely, she didn't mean it that way. She took a quick glance at Hyunjin, whose cheeks were tinted with a pinkish blush. Heejin wanted to say something in response but didn't want to assume anything.   
  
"Ah, well I'm glad. Um, why don't you try doing a few more objects in this room? Take your pick."  
  
Hyunjin looked around the room and chose a chair and desk to draw. She focused on the work before her, trying to control how hard her heart was beating. She wasn't even sure why she had said she liked Heejin. Well, she did but not like that. Maybe. Oh what was she thinking? This was no time to be reading into things. Kahei had told her she needed to focus on tutoring so she could pass.   
  
"You ok?"  
  
Hyunjin jumped a bit, "Oh, uh, yeah. Why?"   
  
Heejin looked at her worriedly, "You are pressing really hard against the paper." Hyunjin looked down and she had broken the lead of the pencil.   
  
"Oh, I guess I zoned out a bit."  
  
Heejin tilted her head slightly, "Let me sharpen that for you." Hyunjin handed over her cat pencil and Heejin got up to sharpen it for her. It seemed like both girls needed a breather for a few seconds. Both were thinking about what was just said.  
  
Heejin returned and sat down closely to Hyunjin. She handed her the pencil and Hyunjin, who had calmed down slightly, went back to work. She really focused this time and finished rather quickly.   
  
"What do you think?"  
  
Hyunjin slipped the sheet over to Heejin. Heejin examined it closely and smiled brightly.  
  
"Yes, yes this is really good. But can I show you something?"  
  
Hyunjin nodded and Heejin reached over to touch her hand holding the pencil. She whispered, "May I?" Hyunjin gulped and nodded again. Heejin placed her hand over Hyunjin's hand and guided her. She helped her add a few more details. She whispered again, "There, that's all it needed."   
  
Heejin's hand remained on top of Hyunjin's for a few more seconds longer than needed but Hyunjin wasn't going to complain. She blurted out "Do you want to come to my house after this?!"   
  
Heejin pulled away and let out a suprised squeak, "Yes! I'd love to!"   
  
"Great! I'm so happy!"  
  
Hyunjin smiled widely and Heejin couldn't help but notice how stunning she was when she smiled. Her eyes turned into crescents and her whole face seemed to light up. Heejin wanted so badly to kiss her but that would ruin everything so she breathed out and calmed down.

"Hey, I think we can start moving to the next technique during our next lesson. When are you available?"   
  
Hyunjin swiftly answered, "Any day and everyday is fine....Of course as long as you are available. I don't want to make you have to come and tutor me everyday or anything. I'm sure you have other things to do."  
  
"Everyday is fine. I do have stuff to work on but it's all here anyway. I can set you up with some work and you can watch me paint if you'd like. Would that be ok? You can ask me anything while you are here."   
  
"That would be amazing. Thank you so much, Heejin."   
  
"Do you want to head out now? It's almost 4 and maybe we can continue looking at stuff at your home?"   
  
"Oh yeah, works for me. I have a laptop we can look at."   
  
"Let's get out of here then."   
  
The girls gathered their things and Heejin made sure to lock the door behind her. Hyunjin looked at the time and thought for a moment. She should probably go tell Yerim that she wasn't going to be around.   
  
"Hey Heejin, you think we can stop by the soccer field? I want to let Yerim know not to wait up for me."  
  
Heejin agreed and they headed off in the direction of the fields. They chatted on the way about nonsense. Hyunjin reminded Heejin that they would probably feed some cats along the way home. There were several of them that would wait around for her. Heejin didn't have a problem with it. She was delighted with the fact that she would see Hyunjin in an environment she was used to.   
  
They heard some loud whistles and someone shouting, "Come on girls! Let's keep doing well so Hyunjin is proud!" Yerim was leading the pack.  
  
Hyunjin brought a hand up to her chest and wiped away an imaginary tear, "That's my girl."   
  
Heejin was silent but she had been wondering something for quite a while. She decided she would ask.   
  
"Hey, are you and that girl you know...dating? I saw you ahead of me when you were headed to the art room. You were very close to each other."  
  
Hyunjin snorted and roared with laughter, "Me and Yerim?! No way! She's like my sister. It would be too weird to like her that way. We are really close. I've known her since we were five and we've been on the same soccer team since we were ten. Hahaha there's no way."   
  
Heejin didn't show it but she let out a sigh of relief quietly. She stood more of a chance now.   
  
"Hey Yerim!"   
  
Yerim looked over to where her name was being called and she smiled instantly. She made a signal to the girls on the team and they all went off to do some stretches or run some drills. She sprinted over and fist bumped Hyunjin. She looked over at Heejin and waved.   
  
"Hi! I'm Yerim. I'm Hyunjin's friend and possibly sister from another mister."   
  
Hyunjin facepalmed, "Oh my god, Yerim."   
  
Heejin let out a giggle and waved back at Yerim, "I'm Heejin. I'm Hyunjin's tutor."   
  
"Oh, I know. Everyone knows who you are. Thank you for helping out my dear unnie over here. Her brain is so preoccupied with a few things that she forgets about other important stuff."   
  
Heejin had already noticed. "I'll do my best to help her but she's doing really well. I won't let you lose your captain."  
  
Yerim saluted her, "Thanks! Are you guys heading home now?"   
  
Hyunjin spoke, "Yeah we are going to my house to keep studying a bit more."  
  
A huge grin formed on Yerim's lips and she was about to speak when Hyunjin glared daggers at her. It was the look of "don't you dare say something stupid or I'm going to literally beat your ass." Yerim however, feigned innocence.   
  
"Unnie, you need your bandages readjusted," Yerim looked over at Heejin, "Do you think you could do it for her, Heejin? I've been taking care of it for her. She just needs to get the cream reapplied and her bandages need to be replaced and tightened. She can show you. Right, unnie?"   
  
Hyunjin was quick to interject, "No, no. It's ok. I can do it myself or I'll make you do it for me tonight, Yerim."   
  
"I don't mind," Heejin spoke softly, "If it will help you heal, it's not a problem for me."   
  
"No, you don't ha--"  
  
"I want to. Don't be so stubborn."   
  
Hyunjin was about to say more when Yerim put her hands on both their shoulders, "Well, it's decided then. Thank you Heejin. I'll see you later, Hyunjin. Hope your mom is making something delicious today."   
  
Hyunjin narrowed her eyes at the younger girl. It was the "I'm definitely going to kick your ass later. Watch your back."   
  
Yerim only looked back in amusement. She didn't think she was pushing it this time and Hyunjin would forgive her after this. The younger girl had a feeling this hangout was going to go very well. Hyunjin put her semi murderous thoughts aside and noticed Haseul wasn't around.  
  
"Wait, where's Haseul?"   
  
"Oh, I sent her to grab a few balls. But she probably got side tracked. Anyway, I'll go and find her. Go have fun! See you at dinner."   
  
Yerim ran off and left the two girls alone. Hyunjin glanced over at Heejin, who held a small smile on her lips.  
  
"Um, sorry about that. You really don't have to do all that for me."   
  
Heejin took a few steps forward and looked back at Hyunjin, "Stop thinking so much. We're friends now, right? I don't mind doing stuff for you."   
  
Hyunjin's ears perked up at the word "friends." She felt elated at the fact that they had gotten to that level.  
  
"Friends huh? That gives me every right to start teasing you. Are you ready for that?"   
  
"Bring it on cat lady!"  
  
Heejin sprinted forward getting a headstart before Hyunjin could even realize what she said.   
  
"Oh, I'm gonna get you Jeon Heejin!"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is gonna have more fluff. I just really want to write cute things for them ;A;


	7. Getting Closer

 

"Did you really think you could outrun me?"   
  
Hyunjin had swiftly caught up to Heejin and shoved her gently. Had it been Yerim, they would have been on the ground wrestling. But Hyunjin wasn't trying to get that far just yet.

Heejin thought for sure she had gotten a good headstart but Hyunjin was definitely a well trained athlete.   
  
"You are really fast for a cat lady."   
  
"Come on miss art prodigy, you are gonna need to come up with a better insult."   
  
Heejin pouted, "This art prodigy is trying to help you pass your class."   
  
Hyunjin chuckled and patted the top of Heejin's head.   
  
"You're right. Thank you."   
  
Heejin felt her face heat up and she gripped the straps of her bag a little tighter. Hyunjin could be really smooth at times.  
  
"Hey Heejin, when did you start painting anyway? Your work is amazing."   
  
Heejin felt happiness at the fact that Hyunjin wanted to know more about her.  
  
"I really don't know. I've always liked to draw. My mother has a book full of all the drawings I made as a kid. My parents have always been pretty supportive of me so it helped me a lot. I just kept at it and gradually got better and better."   
  
Hyunjin could related to the idea of supportive parents. Both her mother and father would take her to the park to practice soccer. And they had always been very welcoming to Yerim as well.   
  
"I've heard your work is in some local museums. Is that true?"   
  
Heejin giggled, "Oh boy, I wonder what else you've heard about me?"  
  
"Nothing bad, just that you are super talented and I should feel honored that you are tutoring a peasant like me."   
  
"No way, I'm the one that should feel honored that Kim Hyunjin, star goalie of our school's soccer team is the person I get to help out. But to answer your question, yes, I've had a few exhibits here and there. It's not a big deal."   
  
Hyunjin laughed, "I'm not a big deal, Heejin. I just play on the soccer team."  
  
Heejin stopped walking and in a low voice said, "You are a big deal to me."   
  
Hyunjin stopped and turned to look at the girl, "Huh?"

Heejin realized what she said and tried to backtrack quickly, "Um, I mean, you are a big deal to a lot of people." Hyunjin remained silent.

Heejin began to feel nervous. Maybe she had said something too weird. She was about to try and explain herself when Hyunjin spoke.  
  
"Do you think that maybe you can take me to one of these exhibits? I'd like to see more of your work."   
  
That response wasn't what Heejin was expecting but she would take it.   
  
"Of course! I'm free this weekend if you'd like to go?"   
  
Hyunjin usually hung out with the girls on Saturday but she figured she could ditch them this time. Although she was curious if Hyejoo had pulled the moves on Chaewon yet. She supposed she could wait until Friday and text the girl to see what had happened.  
  
"I'm free Saturday in the afternoon if that works."   
  
"Yeah! That's perfect."  
  
The girls continued on their walk. Hyunjin spotted a few cats and she quickly went to feed them. Heejin watched as Hyunjin tenderly stroked the cats' heads.   
  
"Do you want to pet them?"   
  
"I really really want to, but I'm allergic."  
  
"Ah yeah, right. Sorry little guys, the pretty lady will get all sneezy if she touches you."   
  
Hyunjin gave them one last neck scratch and picked up the paper plates and stashed them away. The cats began to rub themselves against Hyunjin's legs to thank her. One cat however, approached Heejin and sat in front of her. Heejin made eye contact with it and it meowed sweetly at her.   
  
"No, little guy, she can't pet you. Don't ask."   
  
Heejin crouched down and stared back at the cat. It was just so cute and Heejin couldn't resist, "I'm going to regret this later." She reached out and stroked the cat's head gently. She was surprised with how soft the cat's fur was. The cat began to purr and Heejin smiled.   
  
"I can see why you like them so much. They are so cute."   
  
"They can be assholes too, don't let them trick you."   
  
As if to demonstrate the fact, the cat became bored with Heejin's petting and decided to saunter away and join its friends. They had all gone to relax on the sidewalk after having eaten well. The girls began to walk again and Heejin waved goodbye to the lazy cats.   
  
"I think I have some allergy medicine at home in case you get a reaction."  
  
"Thank you. And Hyunjin?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"For your information, I think you are pretty too."   
  
Hyunjin smiled, her eyes turning into crescents. Heejin thought that maybe she would make it her life's mission to make Hyunjin smile like that every chance she could. It was a sight that needed to be seen always.  
  


The girls continued to walk in comfortable silence until they reached Hyunjin's home.   
  
"Home sweet home. My mom will be there so be prepared for some greetings and invites to dinner. You don't have to say yes but she would be happy if you did."   
  
"Hyunjin, are you trying to introduce me to your parents?"  
  
Hyunjin laughed as she opened the door and invited Heejin in, "Maybe I am."   
  
Heejin giggled and walked in as Hyunjin closed the door behind her quietly.  
  
"Mom, I'm home. I brought a friend."   
  
"Oh honey, you don't need to tell me that Yerim is here...Oh? Who's this?"   
  
Hyunjin's mom came out of their living room and looked at Heejin with a smile. Heejin blushed slightly. Hyunjin's mom was very pretty. She could see where Hyunjin got her good looks.   
  
"This is Heejin, she's my art tutor and new friend. We are going to study a bit more in my room."   
  
Hyunjin's mom shook Heejin's hand, "Thank you for being so good to my daughter. I really appreciate it so much."   
  
"Oh, it's really ok. It's my pleasure."   
  
"Would you like to stay for dinner? There's plenty to go around. I have to keep the fridge stocked because my little Hyunjin here is a food fiend."   
  
Hyunjin groaned loudly, "Mom, please stop."  
  
Heejin laughed and couldn't help but add her two cents. "I can see that at school too. I've wondered if her bag is never ending. She always seems to have so many snacks and cat food in there." Hyunjin looked over at Heejin incredulously.   
  
"Heejin don't go along with it!!"   
  
"Shh, I'd love to stay for dinner, Mrs. Kim."   
  
Hyunjin's mother smirked, "Oh I like her, Hyunjin. You should bring her around more often."   
  
Hyunjin scoffed, "This is the ultimate betrayal, but I need you to teach me things so let's go."  
  
Heejin waved goodbye to Hyunjin's mother and they made their way to Hyunjin's room that was at the far end of her home. Hyunjin walked in and Heejin stood shyly at the door.   
  
"Well, come in. Sorry it's a bit messy. I've been trying to come up with some new soccer formations."   
  
Hyunjin threw her bag on the ground and jumped into bed. She patted the spot next to her.  
  
"Come sit."   
  
Heejin set her things down and sat on the edge of the bed. She was a little too embarrassed to just make herself at home.   
  
"Why are you sitting so far? Come sit next to me so you get pillow support you weirdo."   
  
"I'm not a weirdo, I just don't want to be so intrusive. This is my first visit to your home."   
  
"Heejin, I literally don't care. Come sit next to me so we can look at memes."   
  
"We are supposed to be doing some work."  
  
"We can do both come on."   
  
Hyunjin patted the spot next to her again. Heejin sighed and made her way to the spot. She had to admit that it was comfortable and she could get a good view of Hyunjin's room. It was slightly messy with papers piled up on the floor and on her desk. She had a few posters up and she had some plants on her windowsill. But there was one thing that caught her eye. Her curtains were a bright shade of yellow and there were fabric cutouts of different kinds of cats hanging down with it. Hyunjin caught Heejin looking at the curtains and she pointed them out.   
  
"The curtains are nice right? Yerim made the cutouts for me about three years ago. It's honestly the best present someone has given to me. She didn't know a thing about sewing but she learned as she went. There's a few cats where you can tell she was just learning but those are my favorite ones. Poor girl had bandaids on her fingers for days. She wouldn't tell me why until she gave me the present. I remember crying over it hahaha."   
  
Heejin had to agree that she probably would have cried if someone gifted her something that nice.   
  
"You and Yerim are really close, huh?"  
  
"Honestly, I'd do anything she asks of me. And I'd probably help her hide a body too."   
  
Heejin laughed, "Ok ok, I get it. So are you gonna show me some memes or what?"   
  
"Of course, I'm the meme queen."   
  
Hyunjin reached over for her laptop and as she did, her dress shirt became untucked and Heejin caught a glimpse of her bare skin. She looked away quickly, not wanting to seem like a creep. Hyunjin sat back into place, not even knowing what had happened. She opened the laptop and sat closer to Heejin. Heejin said nothing because she felt quite comfortable with how close they were. They sat for a while just looking at jokes and laughing at videos. They seemed to have a similar sense of humor so it was easy to find things they would both like.   
  
Hyunjin looked at the time and realized they had just horsed around for the past hour.   
  
"Woah Heejin, we haven't looked at any school work at all but I don't have much homework to do. How about you?"   
  
"I don't either but I don't want to leave it for when I go home. We should do it now."  
  
They proceeded to get the things they needed from their bags and Hyunjin's bed became a big desk for them to use. As Hyunjin was setting up her books, Heejin saw her bandaged arm and realized she hadn't changed it.   
  
"Hyunjin, I didn't change the bandage on your arm."   
  
"Hm? Oh don't worry about it. I'll make Yerim do it later."  
  
Heejin shook her head and insisted, "No, I promised her I would do it. I don't want her to hate me."   
  
"Yerim hate you? No way. She's too nice."  
  
"Well, either way, I still said I would do it and I won't take no for an answer."   
  
Hyunjin sighed deeply, "Well fine, but just change the bandage. No point in adding more cream. I'm going to shower later anyway."  
  
Hyunjin brought over the materials and showed Heejin how to wrap the bandage around her forearm. She removed the old ones and Heejin examined her arm carefully.   
  
"Does it still hurt a lot?"   
  
"It's getting better. I feel spasms sometimes but I massage the area to help soothe the muscle."  
  
"Do you want me to?"   
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Do you want me to massage your arm?"   
  
Hyunjin's face went red and she began to stutter, "N-no, it's ok."   
  
"I insist."   
  
Heejin gently pressed her fingers against Hyunjin's forearm and traced circles around the muscle. Hyunjin flinched, expecting it to hurt but was surprised that it didn't. Heejin's hands were very soft and agile. Her fingers glided gently against her forearm. Hyunjin was finding it hard to focus. She had to stop herself from letting out any kind of strange noise. She decided to close her eyes and focus on something else. Moments later the feeling stopped and Heejin was wrapping the bandages tightly around her arm.   
  
"Did I do ok?"   
  
Hyunjin gulped. She didn't want to say that the massage made her feel really good and relaxed or else she might come off as some kind of pervert.   
"You did great, thanks. I appreciate the help."   
  
Heejin seemed to beam with pride at receiving praise from Hyunjin. They looked at each other for a moment and Heejin felt the urge to kiss the girl before her. But she pushed away those feelings and instead reached over for a textbook.   
  
"Hey it's not a problem. Let's get started on this work."

The girls quickly opened their textbooks and got started on their homework. They had separate classes but they still helped each other with whatever they didn't understand.

It wasn't long before they heard a knock on the door.   
  
"Come in!"

The door opened to reveal Yerim, Kahei and Haseul. Hyunjin was visibly surprised, not expecting the two older girls to be there.   
  
"Oh, hey! Didn't know you girls were coming too. There's plenty of room so sit down wherever. You girls already know who Heejin is I'm guessing. This short asshole right here is Haseul and this is her girlfriend K-"  
  
"Kahei unnie."   
  
Hyunjin looked over at Kahei, "You girls know each other?"  
  
"We used to live in the same neighborhood together before I moved over here."

There was an awkward silence in the room for a moment. Hyunjin wanted to ask more questions but thought it would be better to do it when she was alone with Kahei.   
  
Yerim decided to break the silence, "Heejin, do you want to see my fake pet cockroach?"   
  
Heejin's eyes widened, "W-what?"

Yerim reached into her pocket and revealed a plastic toy roach. She pet its head and cooed at it. Hyunjin facepalmed hard.   
  
"Yerim, please, you are bringing my cool points down in front of Heejin."  
  
Heejin chuckled, "It's ok Hyunjin, I didn't think you were that cool to begin with."   
  
Hyunjin scoffed, "That's not what you said earlier..."  
  
"I can't recall."   
  
The girls began to playfully argue as if there weren't three other people sitting in the room. Kahei watched them and internally cringed. The amount of chemistry the girls had worried her. She nudged Haseul who was also watching the scene intently. Haseul looked at her and shrugged. She whispered, "This is the weirdest lovey dovey shit I've ever seen in my life."

Before more could be said, Hyunjin's mom called the girls down for dinner. Hyunjin practically leapt out of the room and left the girls in the dust. Yerim laughed but was on Hyunjin's tail. She loved her mother's cooking.

\--------  
It was 7:30pm. After dinner, the girls had just sat at the table chatting. Heejin learned that Haseul was also another childhood friend of Hyunjin's. She couldn't help but feel a bit envious. Heejin's family moved a lot when she was a kid. She never got to form long term friendships. Thankfully her father had found a stable job and there was no need to keep moving once she reached high school. Her closest friend was Jiwoo and she depended on her for a lot.

Hyunjin looked out the window, noticing that it was starting to get dark.

"Hey Heejin, it's getting kinda dark. How are you going to get home?"   
  
Heejin was having so much fun she didn't even realize the time.   
  
"Um, I might take a train or I might call Soo-"  
  
Kahei swiftly butted in, "Haseul and I will take you home, right babe?" Kahei looked at Haseul intensely and Haseul shyly nodded yes.  
  
Hyunjin couldn't help but feel like there was something strange going on. Yerim also caught onto it and looked at Hyunjin, a clear question mark over her head.   
  
"Are you sure unnie? I can call Soo-"   
  
"I'm positive! We were going to go for a ride anyway..."   
  
"Thank you unnie! I should get going then. I dont want it to get too dark. Um, thanks for having me over Hyunjin."

Hyunjin smiled at her, "You are welcome here anytime. I'll see you at school tomorrow. Can you just text me the next technique I need to learn so I can look it up tonight?"  
  
"Sure thing!"  
  
Heejin gathered her things and headed out with Kahei and Haseul. Hyunjin and Yerim hung out by the door and waved at them as they headed over to Haseul's place to pick up her car. Hyunjin noticed that Haseul was typing something on her phone. Her own phone began to buzz and she received a text from Haseul.

_Haseul: "You little shit, who are you calling a short asshole? Wait until we get back."_   
  
Hyunjin laughed and showed the text to Yerim, "She's mad." The girls giggled and watched as the other girls entered the car. Haseul looked in their direction before getting in and gave Hyunjin the finger. She quickly entered and they sped off.   
  
Hyunjin smirked. She wouldn't hear the end of it probably. The girls went back in and sat in the living room. Yerim had something on her mind.   
  
"Hey Hyunjin, do you think Kahei unnie was acting kind of weird?"

Hyunjin was glad she wasn't the only one who noticed.

"Oh yeah, definitely. I'll ask her about it. She never told me she knew Heejin. Kinda strange."   
  
Yerim agreed but didn't press on.   
  
"Unnie, did Heejin change your bandages?"   
  
"Just the dressing. We realized kind of late so I didn't bother with the cream."   
  
Yerim rolled her eyes, "Were you too busy making out?"   
  
"Shut up, Yerim!!"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next update might be at the end of the week. It's gonna be sooyoung focused and include jinsoul and jungeun. :D


	8. Rough around the edges

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little warning for everyone out there, there's a bit of angst and some homophobia in this chapter. Nothing extreme but just want to let you all know. I hope you all get a sense of how opposite but also similar Hyunjin and Sooyoung are. It's going to be important later. The next chapter is going to be the 2jin museum date and we are going to find out what happened with Hyejoo and Chaewon.

"Sooyoungie, where are you going?" 

Jiwoo looked at her girlfriend curiously. She knew there was soccer practice today but Sooyoung didn't seem like she was heading to the field.

"Gonna go to the mart to get some snacks and then go fuck around for a bit."   
  
Jiwoo looked at her sadly, "But there's soccer practice today."   
  
"So?"   
  
"Jungeun is going to be mad if you don't go."

Jiwoo sighed. She already knew what was going to happen. Sooyoung was going to do whatever she wanted and Jungeun was going to complain to her about it. This was one of the bad parts of being Sooyoung's girlfriend.

"I'm the captain. I can do what I want. Jungeun has it under control anyway."   
  
"Ok, Sooyoung. I'll hitch a ride with Jinsoul."

Sooyoung noted the lack of use of her cutesy name and she pulled Jiwoo into her arms to give her a kiss on the cheek.   
  
"I just want some alone time, babe. I'm sorry. I'll see you at home tonight."   
  
Jiwoo nodded her head sadly. Sooyoung was going through a hard time and Jiwoo wasn't completely sure how to help. It always seemed like things would end up in an argument and that wasn't the best thing for them considering they lived under the same roof.   
  
Sooyoung had been disowned by her father when he found out she was a lesbian. Her mother was torn about the situation but could do nothing. Sooyoung left her home with a backpack and a few of her possessions. Luckily for her, Jiwoo's parents were welcoming and let her into their home. The only condition being that Sooyoung needed to clean up her act, go to school, pass her classes and graduate.

Sooyoung had always been a rebel but after falling in love with Jiwoo, she realized she would never get anywhere in life if she kept acting out. But she still had some rebellious tendencies and it caused a bit of tension between them.

Jiwoo watched as her girlfriend entered her car and drove away. She started walking towards the soccer field, prepping herself for Jungeun's anger. She reached her destination and could see that the whole team was standing around and just waiting. She spotted Jungeun, who was busy chatting with Jinsoul.   
  
"Jungeun!"  
  
Jungeun looked in her direction with a smile on her face, but it quickly faded when she realized Sooyoung wasn't standing next to her.   
  
"Lemme guess, Sooyoung isn't coming?"   
  
Jiwoo shyly nodded her head yes. She closed her eyes in anticipation for whatever Jungeun was going to say.  
  
"God damn it, why is she even the captain if she never shows up? I'm getting really sick of this. Jiwoo you need to--"   
  
Jungeun stopped suddenly and Jiwoo opened her eyes to see that Jinsoul had placed her hand on Jungeun's shoulder.   
  
"Babe, this isn't Jiwoo's fault. You give her too much crap about this and it's really unfair. You need to be discussing this with Sooyoung."   
  
Jinsoul looked towards Jiwoo with an apologetic smile, "Sorry about this Jiwoo. You already know how Jungeun can get sometimes." She looked at Jungeun, "Hey babe why don't you go direct the team and I'll join in a bit?"   
  
Jungeun pouted and began mumbling something as she walked towards her teammates. Jinsoul watched her with a half grin and then turned her attention to Jiwoo.  
  
"Is Sooyoung ok?"  
  
"She's been better. Her mother is trying to contact her but she doesn't want to speak with her."   
  
Jinsoul sighed. It was a tough situation and what Sooyoung needed the most was support from her friends.   
  
"Let's try to talk to her later if possible. She will probably get upset but we really need to be there for her. I won't let this all fall on you, Jiwoo."   
  
"Thank you. Maybe we can talk some sense into her. I know she would appreciate us trying to help her even if she doesn't outwardly show it."  
  
"I hope so. Let me get back to Jungeun and help her with directing the team. See you later, Jiwoo."  
  
"Wait, Jinsoul, can you give me a ride home after practice?"   
  
"Of course."   
  
"Thanks Jinsoul."  
  
Jinsoul winked at the younger girl and walked off to help her girlfriend. Jiwoo went to sit on the bleachers and she took out her phone. She scrolled through some pictures and stopped on one. It was a picture of her and Sooyoung on their first official date after becoming a couple. It was a really happy time for her and the other girl. Things were a lot simpler but Sooyoung didn't want to keep their relationship a secret. Once she told her parents, shit hit the fan and Jiwoo sometimes felt guilty about it. However, Sooyoung would always assure her that it had nothing to do with her and her parents would find out regardless because Sooyoung was very serious about the relationship.

Jiwoo couldn't help but smile a bit at that. She had tamed Sooyoung somewhat. Sooyoung was naturally a flirt and a bit of a show off. She knew she was hot and she knew how to use it to her advantage. But after meeting Jiwoo, she had calmed down a lot and only had eyes for her.

So of course Jiwoo was going to do whatever it took to make sure Sooyoung would get past this hard time.

Jiwoo put her phone away and took out whatever homework she could work on. Soccer practice wouldn't be ending for another hour so she had time to kill.   
  
\-----  
"Ugh, these contacts kill me."  
  
Jinsoul rubbed her eyes and pushed her glasses up on her nose. She only ever used the contacts when she was out on the field. She hated using them any other time.   
  
She looked over at Jungeun who was laying on her stomach and scrolling through twitter on her phone. She hadn't said much since they had arrived at Jiwoo's home. Jinsoul crawled over to her and laid on top of her. Jungeun groaned but continued to scroll down her phone. Jinsoul covered the screen, "What's wrong? You've been awfully quiet since we got here."   
  
Jungeun set her phone aside and buried her face into Jiwoo's bed. Her voice was muffled as she spoke, "I feel bad."   
  
"About?"  
  
"About how I treat Jiwoo sometimes."  
  
Jinsoul poked Jungeun's cheek in an attempt to get her to look at her. It worked and Jungeun turned her head sideways to look at her girlfriend.   
  
"I agree that you should feel bad but also Jiwoo is really understanding about a lot of things. Just remember that you should be telling Sooyoung how you feel, not Jiwoo. You and her have been best friends since forever, you know. She doesn't deserve to put up with your anger."   
  
Jungeun hid her face in the bedsheets again. Jinsoul rolled off of her and patted her head.   
  
"It's ok, it's ok. Hey, I have something to show you. Stop being emo and sit up."

Jinsoul reached for her bag and pulled out a small box. Jungeun sat up in bed, cheeks puffed out and a sad look on her face. Jinsoul covered her mouth with her hand, trying to hide her laughter. Jungeun was never like this with anybody else but her. Jungeun tried to be tough and assertive but she was a huge softie that really liked to be babied. And of course Jinsoul would baby her as much as she wanted.   
  
"I got you something babe. I was going to wait until this weekend but seeing as how you are feeling so down, I might as well give it to you now."   
  
Jinsoul opened the box to reveal a pair of earrings. Jungeun's eyes instantly lit up and she took the box from her hands.   
  
"Babe, I love them!! But...they look expensive. You really didn't have to."   
  
Jinsoul smirked, "Yeah, they were kind of expensive but my baby deserves the best."

Jungeun put them on and went to look at herself in Jiwoo's mirror.   
  
"Babe, really, how did you afford these?" She was admiring herself in the mirror. Jinsoul really knew her well. Jinsoul stood behind her and kissed her cheek.   
  
"I mowed a couple lawns, watched a few brats and saved up until I had enough."   
  
"Thank you baby, I really like them so much."   
  
Jungeun turned around and wrapped her arms around Jinsoul's neck and pulled her in for a kiss. One kiss turned into five and they were soon making out.   
  
"...um..."   
  
They quickly separated and saw that Jiwoo was standing at the door, just having come out of the shower.  
  
"Sorry to interrupt." Jiwoo giggled and sat at her desk to face them. Jungeun's face had turned red and Jinsoul coughed a bit to try and hide her embarrassment.   
  
"Uh sorry about that Jiwoo, Jungeun and I just got into the moment."   
  
Jiwoo shrugged, "Not the first time I've been witness to that."

Jungeun's ears turned red and felt like they were on fire. It was true that they had been caught many times but it was still embarassing each time. Jinsoul could sense that Jungeun was really embarrassed and even though she was too, they weren't the only ones that had these moments.   
  
"Nice hickey you got on your neck there, Jiwoo."   
  
Jiwoo quickly brought a hand up to her neck to cover it. The makeup she used had washed off in the shower and now the hickey was out in the open.  
  
"Shh, quiet. We're even now."

The three girls giggled and got comfortable in Jiwoo's room. Jungeun looked at the time and began to wonder where Sooyoung was.   
  
"Hey is Sooyoung coming soon?"  
  
"Yeah, she sent me a text that she was on her way. I'm kind of glad my parents are away for a while. They would probably get upset if they were here and she's still not home."   
  
Jinsoul agreed but she knew Sooyoung was going through a moment. Jinsoul asked, "So when exactly did her mother contact her?"   
  
Jiwoo answered, "It was over the weekend. She's been out of it since then. I've been begging her to answer her mother."   
  
Jungeun sighed, "But what did her mother say to her?"   
  
Jiwoo shrugged, "She hasn't told me."   
  
Before they could continue to chat, they heard the jingle of keys. Sooyoung was home. They could hear some shuffling and then Sooyoung called for Jiwoo.   
  
"Jiwoo, I'm home."   
  
Jiwoo left the room and went to the kitchen and saw Sooyoung unpacking some food and stuffing it into the fridge. Jiwoo made her way over and hugged Sooyoung from behind.   
  
Sooyoung smiled and placed her hands over Jiwoo's.   
  
"I brought you some sweet potatoes. They are nice and warm so eat up before they get cold."   
  
Sooyoung turned around and tenderly kissed her girlfriend. They broke apart and Jiwoo stayed in her arms for a bit.   
  
"Jinsoul and Jungeun are here."   
  
"Ah shit, is Jungeun pissed?"  
  
"She was but she's fine now. We all wanted to talk to you."   
  
Sooyoung sighed and pulled away from Jiwoo.  
  
"So you girls decided to ambush me, huh?"   
  
"Well when you say it like that, it does sound bad. We don't have to talk if you don't want to."   
  
Sooyoung remained silent and began to pull out the food she had just been storing away.   
  
"Let's set the table and have some dinner. We can all talk better that way."   
  
Jiwoo smiled as wide as she could. She had expected Sooyoung to resist or even get angry but this was a welcome change.   
  
Truthfully, Sooyoung was a bit irked at the situation as she had wanted to speak only to Jiwoo about the afternoon's events but spending some time alone had helped her realize a few things. She was definitely taking out a lot of her frustration on Jiwoo and it was completely unfair. She had also always been a shitty captain, a position that had been forced on her in the beginning of the year, but it was unfair to her teammates who took the sport seriously. In all honesty, she had just joined the soccer team to pick up girls. After Kahei had moved, she had been a bit down and figured she could fool around without her parents knowing. But meeting Jiwoo had really changed her and her life. She had no regrets about telling her parents she was in love with Jiwoo.

Jiwoo went to get their friends from the room and they both came out and greeted Sooyoung who was busy setting up their plates and placing all the food on the table. She hadn't planned for two extra people but she and Jiwoo always ate way too much anyway.   
  
Sooyoung shot Jungeun an apologetic look but only received a sad smile in return. Jungeun figured this wasn't the time to talk about their differences. They all sat at the table and talked about whatever to lighten the mood. They were laughing and having a good time and Jinsoul figured she might as well be the one to ask the question they all wanted the answer to.   
  
"So Sooyoung, what's going on with you?"  
  
Sooyoung downed some water and cleared her throat. She briefly collected her thoughts and spoke, "My mother messaged me over the weekend. She told me she's leaving my father and she wants to see me. She's sorry that she took so long to realize that she was making a mistake and she wants to make ammends."   
  
Jiwoo gasped. That wasn't what she had expected to hear. She thought it was great news but Sooyoung looked so upset about it.   
  
"So when are you going to go see her, babe?"

"I'm not going to."   
  
The three girls looked at her confused. Jiwoo wanted to know why.   
  
"Why? She's reaching out to you."   
  
Sooyoung crossed her arms, "So? It took her this long to reach out to me. What does she want me to say? I'm angry at her. I can't just forgive her this easily."   
  
"But she's your mother.."   
  
"And I'm her daughter, Jiwoo. It obviously didn't mean anything when she let my father kick me out."  
  
Jiwoo flinched inwardly. She didn't know what to say. Jungeun looked over at Jinsoul, pleading with her eyes to say something because she too was at a loss for words. Jinsoul took it upon herself to try and find the right thing to say.   
  
"Sooyoung, I can't possibly relate to what you are going through and none of us wants to make you upset...but please reconsider. You don't have to do it right now or even anytime in the near future, but just please don't make a decision so quickly. What your mother did was wrong and I know you are hurting so much but you can't keep all this anger in."   
  
Sooyoung's lips began to quiver and she quickly hid her face in her hands to muffle the sobs that racked her body. Jiwoo quickly got up and enveloped her in a hug. Jinsoul and Jungeun quickly followed and Sooyoung was surrounded by the warm embrace of her girlfriend and friends. They all continuously whispered reassuring words into her ears to try and calm her down.   
  
Sooyoung seemed to calm down and Jiwoo wiped the tears from her cheeks. She led her to the bathroom and returned back to the table.  
  
"Hey girls, I'm going to get her into the shower and then get her into bed."   
  
Jinsoul and Jungeun wished they could help more but at this point, Jiwoo was probably the only one who could actually help.   
  
"Ok, please let us know if you need anything. Jungeun and I will come back in a hurry."   
  
"Thank you."   
  
Jinsoul went to fetch their things from the room and Jungeun stood awkwardly before Jiwoo. She rubbed her arm shyly and whispered, "Jiwoo, I'm sorry about being such an ass to you."

Jiwoo grinned and hugged Jungeun tightly. She was never one to get angry or hold a grudge.   
  
"It's okay, I can never get upset at you. I love you. I know Sooyoung is a pain in the ass but she never does things with ill intentions. I hope you can understand that."   
  
"I do but once all this passes she's going to get a piece of my mind."   
  
"That's fair. I won't stop you."   
  
Jungeun hugged Jiwoo again, tighter than before and almost lifted her up. Jiwoo let out a cute noise and Jungeun let go. Jinsoul returned from the room with their things and the girls said their goodbyes.   
  
Jiwoo returned to the bathroom and found that Sooyoung was already taking a shower.   
  
"Are you ok, Sooyoungie?"   
  
"I'm feeling a bit better."   
  
"Ok, I'm going to get some clothes for you and make you something to drink. Is that ok with you?"   
  
"Yes babe. Thank you."   
  
Jiwoo began to leave the bathroom when she heard Sooyoung's voice, "Jiwoo?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I love you."  
  
Jiwoo looked back and Sooyoung was poking her head out of the shower. Jiwoo walked back to her and kissed her.   
  
"I love you too."


	9. Maybe it is a date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys this chapter is spicy as fuck, check out all the hand holding. Avert ye eyes. You have been warned. 
> 
> This went on a little longer than I thought so I might do a mini chapter for Hyewon stuff. Things will pick up soon and there's gonna be a bit of a time jump, I really wanted to go into detail with all the beginning days but it's time to move forward. 
> 
> Enjoy!

"How does it feel without the bandages on?" 

Yerim was examining Hyunjin's forearm. The swelling was gone but there was still some bruising.

"A lot better. It was so itchy. I thought I was going to rip my arm off."

"At least it's healing. When do you see the doctor?"

Yerim helped position Hyunjin's arm on the table and gently pushed her hand back to stretch the muscle. This was going to help the muscle since it hadn't been put to use for a while.

"Ow, um, in two weeks." Hyunjin winced slightly at the initial stretch but felt some relief as they continued on. Yerim was no doctor but she had looked up so much information when Hyunjin was injured. She wanted her to get better as soon as possible.

"I'll go with you, unnie. I don't trust you telling me all the right info since you're always in la-la land."

"Hey, hey, hey the doctor uses big words I don't understand. Can you really blame me?"

Yerim gently shoved Hyunjin's good arm.

"Whatever, just pay attention to Heejin today. Where are you girls going on your date anyway?"

Hyunjin made a face, "It's not a date!! It's a friendly outing. She's showing me her artwork at the museum and then I don't know what else we will do, but it's not a date!"

Yerim chuckled and gently patted Hyunjin's arm to show she was done.

"Unnie, that's a date whether or not you think it is."

"Shut up, Yerim."

Yerim laughed again but stopped herself from teasing her friend more. She could see it in the way that Hyunjin was acting. She was bright and animated. Usually she'd be mopey and yawning and bitching about being hungry. She seemed excited and honestly, Yerim was really happy for her. She liked Heejin a lot and thought she had great chemistry with Hyunjin. She had never seen the older girl become so close to somebody that quickly. In fact, besides within their friend group, she had never seen Hyunjin hug anybody else. Maybe it was too quick, but Yerim wasn't opposed to the idea of Heejin being a part of their group, and if it led to something more between her and her best friend, she was fine with it.

The girls finished off their morning routine and went to lay in bed together like they always did. The temperature in the room was nice and they were both starting to doze off. Hyunjin had her eyes closed but she was still awake.

"Yerim? Can you help me pick something to wear later?"

"I thought it wasn't a date."

Hyunjin sighed, "I just want to look presentable. It's not a date."

"Are you gonna bring her home, unnie? You gonna bed her?" Yerim wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Hyunjin rolled her eyes and pretended to raise a fist.

"Who even says it that way? Bed her? Really, Yerim?"

Yerim hid under the covers, "I'm an innocent angel, I don't use foul language."

Hyunjin narrowed her eyes and attempted to remove the covers from Yerim's head.

"Innocent my ass!! You're the one that's been saying perverted stuff about me and her. I've never once talked about how hot she is!"

Hyunjin quickly covered her mouth after realizing what she had said. Yerim peeked out from under the covers and continued to wiggle her eyebrows.

"The truth is revealed..."

Hyunjin covered her face with her hands and looked away, "You are poisoning me Choi Yerim."

Yerim giggled and wrapped her arms around Hyunjin's waist.

"It's ok, unnie. You can marry her if you want, you have my blessing."

Hyunjin uncovered her face and rolled her eyes once more.

"God damn it, Yerim."

Yerim snuggled closer to Hyunjin's body, "I mean it though. Not the marrying part, but if something ends up happening between you and Heejin, I support you 100%. Just don't abandon me."

Hyunjin patted her friend's head, “I would never do that.”

Yerim smiled against Hyunjin's stomach and they both fell asleep.

\--------

“Unnie, besides bread, what else do you want for breakfast?”

“More bread.”

Yerim rolled her eyes and sighed. Hyunjin loved to be difficult sometimes.

“Right, I'll make some eggs too. Get the chocolate milk out of the fridge.”

Hyunjin did as she was told but not before shoving Yerim to get through. Yerim promised herself she was going to get her back as soon as Hyunjin was completely healed. They were due for a pillow fight anyway.

She glared at Hyunjin, who only stuck her tongue out in response.

Yerim raised a brow and said, “I won't help you pick an outfit if you keep it up.”

Hyunjin pouted and placed the cartons of chocolate milk on the table, “Fine.”

Yerim brought over their meal and the girls sat next to each other and ate.

“What are you and the girls doing later anyway?”, Hyunjin asked in between bites of food.

“Movies I think. Haseul offered to pay for tickets. Hyejoo and Chaewon are coming along too.”

Hyunjin stopped chewing on her food and thought of something, “Shoot, I never texted Hyejoo to see if she confessed to Chaewon.”

“I’ll text you later and let you know. It’s been long overdue. I hope they walk in hand in hand.”

Hyunjin laughed, “They are gonna walk with a 3ds in between them. Those nerds.”

Yerim couldn’t help but agree. The two girls were heavily into their games.   
  
The girls finished their breakfast and headed back to Hyunjin’s room to hang out for a bit and choose an outfit for her “friendly outing.” 

“So I’m thinking you should wear something a bit revealing, yeah? Show off a little. Make Heejin drool a little.”

Hyunjin was digging in her closet and stopped and glared at Yerim, “I swear to god, if you don’t stop acting like a fool….”

“You can’t do shit, unnie.”

Yerim was laying on her stomach and watching Hyunjin with a shit eating grin on her face.

“Yerim…”

“Come on, come on, show me stuff.”

“Check the weather for me asshole.”

Yerim reached for her phone and quickly checked what the day would be like, “Sunny and warm, there. Now get out the sexy stuff.”

Hyunjin realized it was a bad idea to have asked Yerim for any kind of help with this so she decided to just pick something out herself. If it was going to be nice weather she wanted to be comfortable. She knew exactly what she was going to grab. She dug in her closet until she found her favorite item of clothing, an oversized green plaid button up shirt.

“Hyunjin that’s the gayest one you own.”

“Tch, as if you don’t own like ten.”

“Hey hey, don’t verbally assault me like that.”

Yerim threw a plushie and it hit Hyunjin square in the face.

“You little shit. Just you wait.”

Yerim stuck her tongue out, “You are full of empty threats. Now keep looking for the rest of the outfit. I suggest a tank top and some shorts. Show off your legs.”

Hyunjin hated Yerim at that moment, mostly because that’s what she had in mind in the first place. Hyunjin mumbled something about kicking ass and choking her best friend but continued on her search. She found a black tank top and some dark denim shorts. She figured she could wear her favorite pair of converse and some black knee socks.

“Look away, I’m gonna change.”

Yerim covered her eyes but peeked through her fingers when Hyunjin wasn’t looking. She watched for a bit before whistling at her. Hyunjin covered herself a little and gave her the finger.

“Yerim, why are you like this?”   
  
The younger girl sat up in bed and crossed her legs, “I’m sorry Hyunjin, I’m just so excited?!! You know, I love you so much and I love being with you but this is the first time you are hanging out with someone that isn’t me. And whether or not you wanna admit it, you think Heejin is really cute and you are jumping with joy on the inside. Don’t tell me I’m wrong.”

Hyunjin felt a blush creeping up on her cheeks. She and Yerim had deep talks all the time but this was something new. She sat next to her friend and gave her a hug.

“Thank you, Yerim. I mean, I want to beat your ass right now because you are being extra annoying but also I want to hold you and pet your face. I can’t describe what I’m feeling exactly when it comes to Heejin. It’s barely been a week but I feel something good from her. I like her a lot as a friend and I think she’s really cute but I don’t know about anything more than that. Time will tell I guess.”

“Hyunjin, I said it earlier but I’ll support you no matter what happens in the future to us. And I hope if either one of us ever acts like a dumbass, the other will come and knock some sense into the offender. Can you promise me that?”

Hyunjin held out her pinky, “Pinky promise.” The girls linked pinkies and hugged again. It was a silly thing but their friendship was really important to them. Hyunjin got up, feeling good, and went to look at herself in the mirror. She fixed up her hair, but styled it like usual. Down and straight.

“I think you need some earrings and the look will be complete.”

Yerim dug through Hyunjin’s jewelry case and picked out a few pieces. Hyunjin had a few piercings in her ears to fill up. Hyunjin put them on and looked to the other girl for approval. Yerim pushed back some of Hyunjin’s hair behind her ear and smiled.

“You look really pretty, unnie.”

Hyunjin blushed a little and rubbed the back of her neck. It was a nervous habit of hers.

“You don’t think it’s too much? Maybe I should just put on some jeans.”

Yerim stopped her, “No, you look great, seriously. Now hurry up, it’s getting close to the time you gotta leave. I checked the train schedule for you. The train station is ten minutes away from here and the next one comes in 25 minutes. Better get there earlier rather than later!! You don’t want to be late and Heejin will already be there waiting for you.”

“Right, right. I’ll go now. What are you going to do until later?”

“I’m gonna go back to sleep on your bed. It’s more comfortable than mine.”

“Haha, okay. Have fun later and tell those losers they all suck. Oh and give this bracelet to Yeojin, I saw it at the convenience store the other day.”

Hyunjin handed over a bracelet with little frogs on it. Yerim looked at it confused, “But Yeojin hates frogs.”

Hyunjin laughed, “Yeah, I know.”

Yerim understood and tucked the bracelet away. She picked up Hyunjin’s bag and handed it to her, “I packed some snacks and some other stuff. There’s an umbrella too, just in case. I think you should be good though.”

“Thanks Yerim, sometimes I wonder which one of us is really the older one.”

“You are, but I just love you that much. Now get the hell out, I want to go sleep.”

“Love you too.”

Yerim walked her to the door and they gave each other a quick hug before Hyunjin headed out to make the walk to the train station. Yerim watched her until she could no longer see her. She smiled and hoped that Hyunjin would have a nice day with Heejin.   
  
\--------   
  
Hyunjin nervously adjusted her bag and looked at the time. She had arrived a few minutes early and she was pacing a bit. She wasn’t sure why she was so nervous but figured it was just because this would be the first time she’d be hanging out with Heejin in the city. Or maybe she was hungry. Yerim had packed her some snacks but she figured it would be a good time waster to walk into the small convenience store located just outside the station. It might also be easier for Heejin to find her too.

She walked in and looked around. There were a few things that caught her eye but maybe it wouldn’t be a good idea to buy extra stuff. She did see a cute hand towel with a cat on it. She was tempted to get it but again, it’s not something she really needed. Hyunjin liked to save her money most of the time. She had worked at a cafe the previous summer and still had some money saved up from it.

Her phone began to ring and she saw that it was Heejin, she quickly picked it up.

“Hey!”

“Hi Hyunjin, I’m at the station. Where are you?”

Hyunjin began to walk out of the convenience store and told Heejin she was just outside. She spotted Heejin and began to wave at her. Heejin was looking around and finally spotted her. She smiled and quickly sprinted over to Hyunjin and embraced her tightly. Hyunjin wasn’t expecting that but she hugged her back with the same amount of force.

“I’m sorry, did you wait long?”

“Not at all, you are just on time. I just got here a bit early. Yerim was shooing me out of my own house so she could go back to sleep.”

Heejin giggled and couldn’t help but look at Hyunjin from head to toe. Her eyes rested on Hyunjin’s thighs for an extra second than needed. Hyunjin didn’t notice because she was also looking at Heejin the same way. She was wearing a black crop top with boyfriend jeans, checkered vans and an oversized olive green jacket. Hyunjin’s eyes rested on Heejin’s stomach, which was toned but looked soft at the same time. Had Heejin really said she was feeling flabby? There was no way.

Hyunjin poked the bunny drawing on Heejin’s beanie and spoke, “Ready to go?”

“Yeah! The museum is about two blocks away. Let’s go.”

The girls began to walk side by side and Hyunjin’s hand felt lonely. Against her better judgement she reached out to hold Heejin’s hand. They intertwined their fingers and Heejin gave her hand a light squeeze. They smiled at each other. Hyunjin figured it was nothing weird. She held hands with Yerim plenty of times. It was just what friends did.

“You know Hyunjin, I almost didn’t recognize you. I’m so used to the uniform that when I saw you, my jaw almost dropped. You look pretty hot.”

Hyunjin could feel the heat rise to her cheeks and she became flustered, “..thank you...um...you look really hot too. Your stomach is distracting.”

It was Heejin’s turn to blush, “Oh, I’m sorry.”

Hyunjin felt some confidence and decided to tease her a little, “So much for being flabby. You don’t need my help with exercising. I think you got it by yourself.”

Heejin put a finger up to her chin as if she were deep in thought, “Maybe I just want to spend more time with you, Hyunjin.”

Hyunjin froze for a moment and looked at Heejin who only winked in response.

“Ah, quit teasing me.” Hyunjin pouted and crossed one arm over her chest. Heejin gathered some courage and hugged Hyunjin’s good free arm.

“You’re cute when you get shy.”

Hyunjin groaned, what was it with her friends teasing her constantly. Even if she did it to them too. But this was still unfair! Hyunjin needed a distraction. She looked around and spotted a display in a store window.

“Hey what’s that?” Hyunjin pointed to the store and pulled Heejin with her to see. There was a cute display with hand sewn animals and other various trinkets. Heejin knew Hyunjin was trying to distract her and she figured she would let her do it this time. But she really thought it was adorable that she got so embarrassed. She loved her reaction and she wanted to keep saying more things to make her blush.

“Sorry, I just really like cute little things like this.”

“It’s fine, we can look at whatever you want. The museum has some nice souvenirs too.”

“Oh, I want to see that. Let’s get back on track.”

“Sure!”

This time Heejin led the way and they finally arrived on the block where the museum was located. There was a big courtyard and then the entrance to the museum. Hyunjin was amazed. She never visited these types of places. She just remembered a school field trip to a space museum with Yerim and they wanted to be astronauts for about a month after the trip. Hyunjin’s parents were convinced the girls were going to grow up and go into space. They didn’t. The next big thing was a soccer game they watched and the girls stuck with it.   
  
“This is really pretty, Heejin, I’m excited to go in.”

Hyunjin began to walk but felt Heejin frozen in place, “Huh? What’s wrong?”

Heejin was wide eyed and staring at something in the distance. Hyunjin looked towards where she was staring and only saw some pigeons.

“Huh? What’s wrong, Heejin?”

There were tears forming in her eyes and she pointed at the pigeons, “I-I’m really scared of pigeons.”

Hyunjin furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, “Pigeons?”

Heejin covered her face and shakily said “I don’t know. I just don’t like them. I’m so scared of them.”

Hyunjin was about to make a joke and tell her to stop playing around but when she saw how small and scared Heejin looked, she held her tongue. People were sometimes scared of weird things and this just happened to be Heejin’s fear. Hyunjin faced her and put two hands on her shoulders.

“Hey, it’s ok. I’ll scare them off and we can run inside, sound good?”

Heejin moved her hands away from her face and nodded. Hyunjin approached the birds and shooed them away as nicely as she could. She didn’t want them to scatter and possibly make the situation worse but she also didn’t like to be cruel to animals. The pigeons flew away and went to hang out on the roof of the museum. Hyunjin went back to get Heejin from the entrance to the courtyard. She wrapped an arm around her shoulder and held her close and they both sprinted over to the entrance of the museum. They went in and Hyunjin could feel Heejin shaking next to her.

Admittedly she felt a bit silly for running away from pigeons but she didn’t like to see Heejin so scared. Hyunjin pulled her into a hug and whispered in her ear, “You doing ok?”

Heejin sniffled a bit but tried to regain her composure, “Yes, thank you.”

The two girls looked into each other’s eyes. Hyunjin wiped away some tears that had rolled down Heejin’s cheek. Heejin leaned into her touch and closed her eyes. Hyunjin had a strong urge to kiss the girl in front of her but she stopped herself. She decided to hug her once again and stroked her back.

“Ready to go?”

Heejin nodded her head against Hyunjin’s chest, “Yeah, I can get us tickets for free.”

  
The girls walked to the front desk and Heejin went to talk to the employee. Hyunjin looked around and was amazed by all the different pieces of art. There were a lot of historical pieces and she wondered how all those things were made. There were also many paintings hanging around and Hyunjin wanted to examine them closer. Heejin returned and began to pin a small badge to Hyunjin’s shirt.

“Here, this gives us access to all exhibits.”

Hyunjin examined the badge, it had the logo of the museum and was a bright yellow color.

“Can I keep this?”

“Sure, but why would you?”

“Memories.”

Heejin decided she would do the same. This was the first time she was hanging out with Hyunjin and she wanted to remember it fondly.

The girls began to explore the museum and Heejin couldn’t help but giggle at how amazed Hyunjin was with everything. She was examining everything closely, the paintings, the pottery, the sculptures. Hyunjin was in awe. She stopped at one particularly interesting painting. It was of a night sky but it was different colors with stars splashed all over the canvas.

“Wow, this one is really pretty.”

Heejin puffed out her chest with pride, “That’s one of my mine.”

“Woah? Really?!”

Heejin pointed to the name next to it and her signature. Hyunjin took out her phone.

“Heejin, can you get a picture of me next to it? I want to show Yerim tomorrow.”

“Oh, of course. Gimme.”

Hyunjin handed over her phone and posed next to the painting. Heejin looked around to make sure nobody was looking. There was a “no pictures” sign but Heejin figured it would be fine if it was her own work. She took a few snapshots and handed Hyunjin back her phone.

“Are they good?”

Hyunjin looked a them and thought they were fine.

“Yes, let’s take a picture together too.”

The girls took several selfies together. They were mostly making silly faces but on the last one Hyunjin placed her cheek right against Heejins’. Heejin smiled big and Hyunjin took the picture.

“Send me those, please. And I’d like to take a few with my phone too.”

Heejin took out her phone and held it up while she hugged Hyunjin from the side. They took a few more pictures and Heejin was happy with all of them. She scrolled through them and was happy to have pictures of Hyunjin and herself together. She was going to add them to the secret folder in her phone so she could look at them again later.

Meanwhile Hyunjin was also thinking about how happy she felt having a few pictures of Heejin on her phone. They would come in handy on days she felt down.

They visited a few more exhibits and decided they had enough for the day. Well, it was mostly Hyunjin’s stomach complaining. It roared loudly while they were looking at some sculptures. A few people looked around trying to figure out where the sound came from. Hyunjin acted as if nothing happened but Heejin began to chuckle next to her.

“You hungry?”

“...Yes.”

“Let’s head out. Do you want to stop by the souvenirs shop before we go?”

Hyunjin shook her head and pointed at her phone, “It’s ok. I got all the souvenirs I need right here.”

Heejin grinned, “You can be so cheesy sometimes, it’s a little embarrassing.”

Hyunjin scoffed, “You know you like it.”

Heejin shrugged, “Maybe I do. Anyway, there’s a nice little sandwich shop nearby. We can pick something up and take it to the park nearby.”

“Sounds great to me.”

They left the museum hand in hand and walked to the nearby sandwich shop. Hyunjin looked up at the sky and saw that it was getting dark. She looked at the time on her watch. It was still early.

“Oh man, I think it might rain. Yerim didn’t mention anything about rain.”

Heejin looked around in her bag and sighed. 

“I didn’t bring an umbrella either. I also didn’t see anything about rain. Guess it caught us by surprise. 

Hyunjin remembered that Yerim had packed an umbrella for her, just in case. 

“I have one. We can share if it does start to rain. We’ll just stand really close. But we are good for now. Let’s go find somewhere to sit.”

Hyunjin’s stomach growled again. Hyunjin patted it, “Just wait a little.”

Heejin reached over and patted it as well, “I’ll feed you, don’t worry.”

The girls picked out some premade sandwiches and something to drink and headed to the park and found a bench to sit on. Heejin watched as Hyunjin quickly stuffed her face with the sandwich. She found it really endearing and she couldn’t help but gush over her.

“Do you like it?”

Hyunjin nodded her head happily, cheeks stuffed with the sandwich.

“Oh, you got a little dressing on the side of your lip.”

Heejin wiped it away with her finger and Hyunjin began to hand her a napkin but Heejin ignored it and licked the dressing off her finger. Hyunjin’s eyes widened, a little embarrassed with the action but thanked her anyway.

They chatted for a bit and just relaxed. They had walked quite a bit in the museum and Heejin was feeling it in her legs.

“I’m pretty tired. How are you feeling?  
  
Hyunjin massaged her legs, “I’m kinda tired too. Yerim and I jogg---”

They both started feeling raindrops. At first it was a few but they started coming down quickly. Hyunjin scrambled to open her umbrella but by the time they were under it, they had both gotten a bit wet. They left the park and went to stand under a store awning. There were a few other people standing there as well so the girls huddled closer together. Hyunjin was thankful that Yerim had packed the umbrella or else they would have been soaked to the bone. Heejin took in their surroundings. It started raining harder.

“Should we wait for it to let up a little and try to make a dash for the train station? We aren’t too far, thankfully.”

Hyunjin nodded her head yes and they stood for a little while. Hyunjin was starting to get cold and began to shiver a little. Heejin noticed and took off her jacket and placed it around Hyunjin’s shoulders. Hyunjin began to protest but Heejin cut her off.

“We can take turns with it. I’m ok, but you are wearing shorts and you’re shivering. I don’t want you to get sick.”

“I don’t want you to get sick either…”

“I’ll be fine. Let’s keep waiting.”

Hyunjin knew she couldn’t win this so she just hugged the jacket closer to her body. It smelled like Heejin. The smell was nice and sweet and Hyunjin felt a sense of calm while she wore it. The girls waited a little more but the rain wasn’t really stopping.

“You think we should make a dash for the train station? I can hold the umbrella so you don’t stress out your arms and we can try to stay under the trees so we don’t get super wet.”

Hyunjin thought it was good idea, in theory at least.

“Let’s go for it."  
  
She handed Heejin the umbrella and they began to make their way through the few blocks leading up to the train station. They avoided the rain as best as they could and made sure not to bump into any people. They entered the train station and were completely out of breath. Hyunjin regained her composure before Heejin did and spoke, “So glad we made it.”

Heejin gave her a thumbs up and was still trying to catch her breath. Hyunjin smirked and smugly said, “Maybe I do need to help you with some exercises..”

Heejin narrowed her eyes at the girl, “Shush….I’m an artist, not an athlete.”

Hyunjin looked down at her watch, “The train is coming soon, I guess this is where we part.”

“I guess so.”

The girls faced each other awkwardly and Hyunjin felt like she really didn’t want to part ways.

“Would you….want to stay over my house tonight?”

Heejin was definitely not expecting that but she felt really excited and wanted to tease Hyunjin a little bit.

“Hyunjin, are you trying to get me in your room again?”

Hyunjin visibly began to panic and she stuttered, “H-huh? What? N-no! Most likely Yerim will show up tonight. We won’t be alone. I mean, it’s ok if you don’t want to. I didn’t mean to insinuate anything. Ah shit, I’m sorry. You don’t have to. Never mind. I never said anything. I’ll see you----”

Heejin covered Hyunjin’s mouth with her hand, “I was only kidding, Hyunjin. I’d love to sleep over but I don’t have any clothes to change into.”

Heejin uncovered Hyunjin’s mouth and she let out a deep sigh of relief.

“I have extra clothes you can borrow and I have tons of stuff you can use. The girls are always staying over so I buy stuff to keep around for them to use. And I have a washer and dryer for your clothes and...your undies and stuff.”

Hyunjin felt a little shy saying that last part. She wasn’t trying to be weird. She just wanted Heejin to stay the night and feel comfortable.

“That’s perfect. I’ll call my mother later and let her know.”

“Yay! Do you want your jacket back? I mean it’s a little wet but the inside is still warm.”

“It’s ok. Hold onto it for now. I’ll be fine with what I have on.”

“Ah, you’re pretty stubborn, but ok. Let’s get out of here.”   
  
\--------   
  
Hyunjin scrolled through her messages as Heejin took a shower. She had thrown all her clothes in the wash and provided Heejin with some warm clothing to wear and feel comfortable in. She sat on her bed only wearing her shorts and tank top. They hadn’t gotten too wet but she wasn’t going to change until she took a shower.

_Yerim: Hey I’m staying over Haseul’s tonight. They wanted to continue movie night and I’m trying to scare Yeojin shitless. Will let you know if I do. Will provide pictures if I can. She hated the bracelet btw but she’s still wearing it. LOL._   
  
Hyunjin smiled at her phone. It was a thing between them to mess with Yeojin. They loved the kid but she could certainly get on their nerves at times.

But Hyunjin began to think. If Yerim wasn’t going to be around then it would really only be her and Heejin. And even though they had been alone before, this felt different. It really did feel like they had just gone on a date and she hoped the situation wouldn’t make Heejin feel uncomfortable.

Heejin popped out of the bathroom drying her hair and Hyunjin looked up at her. She was wearing one of her pajama bottoms and an oversized shirt. She looked really cute.

“Yerim isn’t coming over. Hope you don’t mind that it’s just you and me.”

Heejin was more than happy with the outcome. Not that she disliked Yerim. She thought she was great and really did live up to her nickname but spending more time with Hyunjin was something she wanted.

“That’s fine.”

Hyunjin felt some relief, “Cool, I’m gonna shower now. You can go hang out in the living room if you want. Why don’t we order some pizza too? My parents are out for a date night so they won’t be back until waayyyy later. I should be out of the shower by the time the pizza arrives. I’ll pay, my treat.”

“You sure? I can pitch in too.”

“No worries, I have money to spend. Order whatever you want. Just make sure to get some dessert too.”

“Alright. But next time, it’ll be my treat.”

Hyunjin waved her hand dismissively and handed her her phone to order through an app.

It didn’t take very long for the girls to settle comfortably into the couch and set up some shows to watch. The pizza arrived in perfect condition and they dove right in. They laughed at all the things they watched and Heejin couldn’t help but admire Hyunjin’s canine teeth. The harder she laughed the more she’d see them. Heejin never thought she’d be crushing so hard on someone that even their teeth became super attractive.

“Hey, let’s go play some games on my laptop upstairs.”

The girls went back to Hyunjin’s room and sat closely next to each other. Hyunjin pulled up a few puzzle games they could enjoy together. It wasn’t long before Hyunjin noticed that Heejin looked really sleepy. She was resting her head against Hyunjin’s shoulder and her eyes were closing. Hyunjin tapped her lightly.

“Heej? Let’s go to bed, it’s past midnight and we’ve had a long day. I gotta get up in a couple of hours for my jog. I’ll go sleep on the floor.”

Heejin shook her head and sleepily said, “No, that’s not fair. This is your bed. Let’s sleep together.”

Hyunjin was hesitant. She did sleep with Yerim all the time...

“Are you sure?”

Heejin’s eyes were closed but she nodded her head, “Yeah." 

Hyunjin handed her a plushie on her bed, “If you need something to hug..”

Heejin wrapped her arms around it and turned on her side so she was facing Hyunjin and fell asleep. Hyunjin went to turn off the lights and went back to lay in bed. She patted Heejin’s head and whispered, “Goodnight.”

Hyunjin stared up at the ceiling. She felt confused. She had only known Heejin for a little over a week and she was already inviting her over and hanging out. She never got this close to people so quickly. It had even taken her a while to get used to Hyejoo and Chaewon. They were originally friends with Kahei and they only met because they ran into each other at the arcade. Hyunjin had kept her distance for a while because she wasn’t sure about them. But nowadays she had a close bond with them and always looked forward to seeing them and hanging out.

Even if the circumstances that brought them together wasn’t ideal, Hyunjin was happy that she got to meet Heejin.

\--------

Hyunjin woke up a few minutes before her alarm went off. She disabled it and tiptoed around her room. She sent Yerim a quick text before getting ready for their jog. She quickly got ready and looked towards Heejin. She was sound asleep and had rolled over to her side. Hyunjin slipped out of her room and went outside to wait for Yerim.

Yerim showed up a few minutes later, rubbing her eyes.

“Did you wake up the girls?”

“No, those bitches sleep like rocks. They kept me up until 1am talking about nonsense. Yeojin was knocked out and Haseul and Kahei would not stop being gay with each other. At least I didn’t have to put up with the fairy princess and count Dracula. They went home after the movies to spend “quality girlfriend time” together.” I should have come over and slept with you.”

Hyunjin laughed, “Well I would have had to pull out a sleeping bag.”

Yerim looked at her in confusion, “A sleeping bag?”

Hyunjin shrugged, “Heejin slept over.”

Yerim’s eyes widened and she yelled out, “WHAT?”

Hyunjin quickly put a hand over her mouth, “Holy shit, you are gonna wake up the entire neighborhood!”

Yerim slapped Hyunjin’s hand away and spoke in a loud whisper, “Hyunjin, I was just kidding about you bringing her to your bed. What were you thinking?!”

Hyunjin made a face, “No! What are YOU thinking? She just slept over. We watched movies and ate pizza. Then we played games and fell asleep. That’s all.”

Yerim narrowed her eyes at her friend, “Hyunjin, swear to me that you didn’t do anything.”

“I swear.”

Yerim put a hand to her chest and sighed out in relief, “Oh thank god, I wasn’t ready to be an aunt.”

Hyunjin groaned in exasperation, “Yerim. PLEASE.”

The bubbly girl giggled and put an arm around her friend’s shoulder, “Hyunjin you work quickly. I didn’t know that about you. Did you at least pay for the pizza?”

Hyunjin pushed her arm away, “For your information, I did. But I invited her over because we got wet and the day was cut short.”

Yerim covered her ears, “Unnie, please!! Don’t say those things. You got wet? OmG.” 

“NO, you idiot! From the rain! We got wet from the rain! We ran to the train station and we got soaked. I didn’t want the day to end so I invited her over.”

“Oh. Oh! Hyunjin you are so cute. You like her that much, huh?”

Hyunjin wanted to strangle the girl.

“Yerim, can we just start the jog? Please? I’m begging you. It’s too early for this.”

“I’m sorry, unnie. I just can’t help myself. This is the first time you have a real crush on somebody and it’s just so cute. I’ll stop...for now.”   
  
“It’s not a crush.”   
  
“Riiiiight.”

Yerim took off and Hyunjin stood dumbfounded for a few seconds. She came back to reality and took off after Yerim.

“You little shit!!” 

  
  



	10. Work out your feelings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idk how minecraft works so I hope i wasn't too far off with what i wrote. I looked up a little info but winged the rest of it. Here's Hyewon to cleanse your soul and make you soft. 
> 
> It's gonna get real in the next chapter so prepare yourselves. Enjoy!

“Unnie, how do I ask Chaewon to be my girlfriend?”

Hyejoo and Sooyoung were sitting in Jiwoo’s living room watching tv. It was Sunday and they usually all hung out at Jiwoo’s place to relax and just spend time together. Hyejoo had gotten scolded the day before by Hyunjin and it had really got her thinking.

“No wait, how can I make sure she might like me too?”

Hyejoo wasn’t even sure about that part. She had been in love with Chaewon for as long as she could remember but she wasn’t sure how her friend felt about her. Sooyoung muted the tv and looked at Hyejoo, brows raised and said, “Only someone who really likes you would put up with you as much as she does.”

Hyejoo sighed and her shoulders sank. Sooyoung took note and realized maybe it wasn’t the best time to make jokes. She gave her hand a quick squeeze.

“Sorry, kiddo, I guess you are being serious. I have no doubt that Chaewon is in love with you too. Just stop being such an ass to her. Use your words.”

Hyejoo perked up and quickly replied, “I won’t do it again. Hyunjin unnie told me not to.”

“Hyunjin?”

“Ah, yeah, I guess we’ve never all met. Kahei introduced us when we ran into each other at the arcade.”

Sooyoung was a little surprised, “You’ve been hanging out with Kahei?”

Hyejoo felt a little bad. She wasn’t trying to keep it a secret from Sooyoung.

“Sorry unnie, Chaewon and I never mentioned it because we didn’t know how you’d react and we never asked you to drive us to the arcade because you hate it there.”

Sooyoung shook her head, “No need to apologize. Kahei and I parted ways a long time ago and I’m happy with Jiwoo anyway.”

Hyejoo looked at her sadly but Sooyoung smiled at her and patted her head to signal that it was really ok.

“Hyejoo, just be nice to Chaewon. Treat her right. Don’t bully her. Take her somewhere nice and then ask her. I guarantee that she will say yes. But if you need help, let me know."

Hyejoo wasn’t too sure. She hoped that she hadn’t driven any feelings away by being mean. She also thought that just being nice and doing things for Chaewon wasn’t going to be enough. She wanted to do something really special and involve something they both really liked.

Video games.

Hyejoo slowly formulated a plan in her head. She was going to do it all on her own. She silently thanked her unnies for listening and giving her advice but this next bit was up to her. She just needed a little bit of time to get her plan into action but for now she was going to be as kind as she could.

Sunday itself was uneventful. She played games with Chaewon as usual but she made sure to be pay extra attention to her friend. This behavior seemed to throw off Chaewon.

“You ok, Hyejoo? You are being too nice.”

Hyejoo felt bad knowing that Chaewon was so used to her being mean.

“Nothing is wrong, Chae.”

Chaewon looked at her strangely and leaned over to press their foreheads together, “You sure? You feeling ok for real?”     
  
Hyejoo gulped hard and leaned back, “I’m ok. Really.”

Chaewon gave her one last hard look and returned to playing games. Hyejoo let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. Knowing she was going to confess soon made Hyejoo more hyper aware of the things Chaewon did to her. Maybe they did mean something more.

But Hyejoo didn’t want to think about all that. She would drive herself crazy.   
  
She heard some giggles behind her and saw that Jiwoo and Sooyoung were whispering to each other. Sooyoung winked at her and Jiwoo gave her a thumbs up. Hyejoo cringed internally.    
  
Her unnies really liked to embarrass her.    
  
\----   
It was Wednesday. Hyejoo sat in her biology class with her head down. She really hated school. She was half listening to what the teacher was saying and jotting down notes mindlessly. Today was the day she was going to ask Chaewon to be hers. She couldn’t stop going over the plan in her mind.

The previous Sunday when she had returned home she got straight to work. She broke open her piggy bank and counted the money she had saved up over the months. It wasn’t exactly what she had hoped for. She cursed herself for spending it on games and dlc. She would have to settle for taking Chaewon out for some ice cream and then have a pizza delivered for them to eat at her home. She had spoken to her parents and asked that they go on a date that night.

_ “But honey, it’s a weeknight. Your father and I have to work tomorrow.” _

_ “I don’t care, mom. I have something important to do with Chaewon.” _

Her mother hadn’t asked more. Hyejoo wasn’t sure if she knew what was going on but if she did, it didn’t seem like it bothered her. She wasn’t exactly ready to talk to her mom about the topic either.    
  
Hyejoo looked at the clock again. She only needed to get through two more classes and she’d go meet with Chaewon at her locker. Maybe she would carry her books too. She could only imagine how Chaewon would react. She wanted to be her knight in shining armor. Well, in her case, her dark knight in shining armor. Hyejoo smiled to herself and rapidly began to write more notes. She was just too excited.

The next two classes seemed to move slowly and Hyejoo could feel her nerves at their peak. She looked at the clock and there was a minute left before the bell rang. The teacher was finishing up but Hyejoo had already packed her bookbag and had her hand on the strap ready to launch herself out of the room. She felt like an energy surge was building….but it could also mean she was so nervous she was going to pee herself.

“Come on, come on.”

The bell rang and Hyejoo ran faster than Sonic the Hedgehog and left her classmates in the dust. The teacher probably hadn’t even finished saying what she needed to say but she didn’t care. She was a bundle of nerves and rushing out of the classroom was actually alleviating. Chaewon’s last class was located right next to her row of lockers so she was probably already there.

Hyejoo ran straight for the hallway, making sure she didn’t bump into anyone. The last thing she needed was someone getting angry and causing her to be late. Hyejoo spotted Chaewon in the distance and just like that, she felt all the tension and nervousness fade away. Chaewon was crouched down, looking into her bag and tucking back a piece of her hair from falling in front of her face.

Hyejoo stood in place dumbfounded. Chaewon was really beautiful.

Chaewon felt that someone was looking at her and she looked up and saw Hyejoo. She stood up and waved at her, calling her over, “Hyejoo!”

Hyejoo clutched at her heart. Chaewon was cute. Her voice was cute. Her face was cute. Her mannerisms were cute. It was too much to handle but Hyejoo composed herself. As stupid as it was, Hyejoo lashed out and was mean to hide just how much she liked Chaewon. She didn’t like people to know how soft she was for the smaller girl. She didn't want anyone to think she was weak.

It was such a stupid thought process and she was thankful that Chaewon put up with it.

“Hyejoo!!”

Hyejoo snapped out of her thoughts and walked towards Chaewon, fully composed.

“Hey.”

“Hi Hyejoo!! Gimme a bit, I need to check out how much money I have for a sundae. I’ve been thinking about it all day!!”

Hyejoo placed a hand over Chaewon’s and spoke softly, “Don’t worry about money. It’s my treat.”

Chaewon’s eyes lit up and she grabbed Hyejoo’s hands with both of hers and spoke in a tiny voice, “Really?”

Hyejoo resisted poking her in the forehead as she felt her own feelings gush forth.

“Yes, really. Now get your stuff together.”

“Did you get your stuff already, Hyejoo?”

Hyejoo had the sudden realization that she hadn’t.

“Oh, right, I guess I didn’t.”

Chaewon closed her locker and smiled at Hyejoo, “Did you run over here right after class?”

“Yes.”

Chaewon nervously chuckled. That wasn’t the answer she was expecting. She expected a “NO, why would I do that?” and maybe a punch to the arm. She wasn’t going to complain though.

“Well, Hyejoo, let’s go get your stuff.”

The girls began to walk towards Hyejoo’s locker, which was located at the other end of the hallway. Chaewon grunted a bit and adjusted her bookbag straps. Hyejoo took notice.

“Do you want me to carry some of your stuff in my bag? I won’t have much.”

“No, no it’s ok. I can deal. It’s just one textbook that I need to read through tonight.”

Hyejoo stopped her.

“I insist.”

She stood behind Chaewon and opened her bookbag to take out the textbook. It was heavy and Chaewon had a few other things tucked into her bag. Hyejoo placed the textbook into her own bookbag while Chaewon complained.

“Hyejoo, no!! I don’t want you to carry that around.”

Hyejoo put a finger to her lips, “Shh, I’m ok.”

Chaewon puffed out her cheeks and furrowed her brows in an attempt to look scary. Hyejoo really wanted to pinch her cheeks but instead she kept walking towards her locker, ignoring Chaewon’s “menacing” stance. Hyejoo opened her locker and dumped out some of the contents from her bag. She only had one assignment that day luckily. Chaewon caught up to her and briefly examined the inside of Hyejoo’s locker. It was somewhat organized.

“You know, I expected your locker to be a lot messier. Have you seen Sooyoung unnie’s locker?”

Hyejoo fake gagged, “It’s full of trash, just like her bookbag.”    
  
Chaewon giggled, “How many times has Jiwoo unnie cleaned them both out for her?”

“Too many.”

The girls broke out into laughter. They rarely got to make fun of their unnie out of fear of retribution. Sooyoung was always quick to pull their ears and they feared losing them one day.    
  
Hyejoo closed her locker and looked at Chaewon, eyes full of love, “Ready to go?”

Chaewon felt like she had never seen Hyejoo look at her like that. It was always Hyejoo mumbling at her “let’s go already.”

“Yeah….Hyejoo is everything ok?”

Hyejoo adjusted her bag and said, "Yeah? How come?"

Chaewon shrugged, "You are just acting a bit strange. Not a bad strange but I'm not used to it. I just want to make sure you're ok."

"Don't worry about it, Chae."

Hyejoo shyly extended her hand and waited for Chaewon to take it. Chaewon blushed. They never held hands out in the open with others around. It usually happened when they were walking in their neighborhood.

It made Chaewon really happy. She laced their fingers together and smiled at the dark haired beauty.

Chaewon had liked Hyejoo for the longest time. She can pinpoint the exact moment she started feeling something for her. They were playing a dumb game of trying to figure out each other's likes and dislikes. Sooyoung and Kahei were together at the time and they were pretty much tied with Chaewon and Hyejoo. There was one question that had both the older girls stumped.

"What's your current favorite color?"

Sooyoung and Kahei had each failed and of course Chaewon knew that Hyejoo's favorite color was black no matter what. She thought maybe they would go into extra rounds because Chaewon liked to change her mind a lot. She had briefly mentioned it before. She was looking at a fuzzy lavender jacket that she wanted to buy. She was really into the color at the time. There was no way Hyejoo would know.

"So? What's her current favorite color?"

Without missing a beat, Hyejoo answered, "Lavender."

Chaewon gasped and slowly raised her paper to show the correct answer. Kahei shoved her shoulder gently, "Hyejoo really does know everything about you."

Chaewon remembered how fast her heart started beating. She was in shock. Hyejoo really did pay attention to the small details. At that moment Chaewon thought, "I want to marry her."

Time had passed and she loved every moment she shared with the girl. But Hyejoo could be cruel and was a borderline bully. Chaewon fully understood that Hyejoo had a really hard time expressing herself and had always chosen to respond with anger when things didn’t go her way. But Chaewon also knew that Hyejoo was a wonderful person who cared deeply for her friends so even if sometimes it made her feel sad, Chaewon was always very patient. And she hoped that one day Hyejoo would learn to control herself and use her words properly. Was it kind of fucked up? Yes, absolutely, but Chaewon had seen a change in Hyejoo through the years she had known her and she was willing to be by her side through whatever obstacles they might face.

So right now, just walking with Hyejoo hand in hand and getting ice cream was something that filled Chaewon with so much joy. Their walks were usually quiet and they liked to enjoy the scenery they passed as they made their way around. But Chaewon was just really happy and she wanted to chat.

“Hyejoo? What kind of ice cream are you going to get?”

“I don’t know. I guess I’ll see when we get there.”

Chaewon giggled, “Aren’t you excited? It’s gonna be so delicious.”

Hyejoo stared ahead and said, “I am. I’m excited because you are here with me.”

Chaewon smiled brightly and wrapped her arms around Hyejoo’s arm. She leaned on her shoulder. She was just short enough that it felt comfortable. She thanked the heavens for Hyejoo’s tall height.

“Hyejoo, why are you being so nice to me today?”

“Because.”

“Because why?”

“Just because.”

Chaewon growled and Hyejoo heard it. She tried to stifle her laughter but couldn’t fully do it. Chaewon puffed out her cheeks again and Hyejoo couldn’t help but compare them to Kirby.

“Stop being so cute.”

“I can’t. I was born this way.”

Hyejoo lightly pinched Chaewon’s cheeks until the small girl pushed her hands away.

“These cheeks aren’t for pinching!!”

Hyejoo quietly murmured, “they are for kissing…”

Chaewon couldn’t quite hear her and asked “What was that?”

“Nothing. Look the ice cream shop is over there.”

Hyejoo jogged over to the entrance and held the door open for her blonde friend. When they were both inside Chaewon pointed directly at the sundae she wanted. Hyejoo gulped and quickly did some math in her head. She would have enough if she only got a small cone, which was ok. She really didn’t care about the ice cream. She just wanted Chaewon to be happy.

“I’ll go order, please go find a table.”

“Okay!”

Chaewon looked around and headed towards an empty table. Hyejoo couldn’t help but gush at how cute she looked running over to the table. The only person who made her this soft was Chaewon. There was no way in hell she would gush over someone else this hard.

“Next!”

Hyejoo quickly ordered the sundae and small cone for herself. She thanked the cashier and walked over to where Chaewon was patiently waiting. Hyejoo set the sundae down and Chaewon’s eyes widened and she licked her lips in anticipation.

“Oh my god, Hyejoo, this looks so good!!”

Chaewon then looked at the small cone that her friend was holding and she frowned.

“Is that all you got?”

“Yeah.”

Chaewon crossed her arms and huffed like a child, “Did you sacrifice yourself for me? You really didn’t have to Hyejoo. Here I have a few bucks, get another scoop.” 

Chaewon began to take out her wallet but was stopped by Hyejoo’s hand.

“It’s ok. I wanted to treat you today. Chaewon, I’m sorry for how I treat you sometimes. I know ice cream won’t fix a damn thing but I’m trying really hard to do better.”

Hyejoo was really full of surprises today. Chaewon wasn’t sure what to think but she never held any ill will towards her friend.

“Hyejoo, why are you bringing this kind of stuff up? You know I can’t be angry at you about anything.”

“I just want you to know that I care about you a lot.”

“I know you do. You don’t have to tell me. Now let me buy you another scoop.”

Hyejoo chuckled, “I’m seriously fine. I need to make room for pizza later.”

Chaewon’s eyes widened, “We are having pizza?? Hyejoo are you going to propose to me later?”

Hyejoo nervously chuckled, “N-no. Just wanted to have a nice evening with you since my parents will be gone.”

Chaewon narrowed her eyes. Hyejoo was really acting weird. And how come her parents weren’t going to be there? None of this made sense but Chaewon wanted to find out what it was going to lead to.

“Well, ok. Have some of my sundae.”

Chaewon brought the spoon up to Hyejoo’s lips and fed her.

“Is it good?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you want more?”

“...Yeah.”

Chaewon smiled. Nobody could resist ice cream.

The girls chatted a bit and then headed out to continue their walk to Hyejoo’s home. It wasn’t too long and they found themselves going up the path to Hyejoo’s house. They entered and went directly to Hyejoo’s room. It was set up like an internet cafe. Hyejoo had a great computer setup with several monitors and Chaewon figured she had the fastest internet speeds in the neighborhood.

“Hey your stuff is in the drawer. Mom washed it for you.”

“Thanks!”

When the girl’s weren’t over at Jiwoo’s home, they spent their time at Hyejoo’s. They often played video games until early morning on weekends. It was just their thing. They would get scolded for it a lot but they didn’t really care. Hyejoo also visited Chaewon’s home a lot and her parents really liked her. Her mother especially. She’d often bake them cookies and make extra for Hyejoo to take home.

The girls changed into more comfortable clothing and began to work on their assignments. There wasn’t much to do but they wanted to get it done before starting to play their games and enjoy each other’s company.

Hyejoo couldn’t understand any of the notes she wrote down from biology. She groaned. She really did hate school a lot. As if any of this would matter in the future. She glanced over at Chaewon who was diligently working on taking notes from her massive textbook. If school and homework was as soothing as watching Chaewon, Hyejoo would be passing all of her classes with top grades.

“What’s wrong? Need help?”

Hyejoo didn’t think Chaewon would notice her staring.

“A little.”

Chaewon closed her textbook and sat next to Hyejoo to look over her work.

“Ah, biology. One of my least favorite subjects. Let me see your notes.”

Hyejoo handed over her notebook and Chaewon took a moment to read through them. They were horrible and sloppy. There were scribbles and doodles of skulls and butterflies all over the place.

“Hyejoo...these are terrible. You can borrow my notes so you can complete the assignment. You should probably copy them too.”

“Alright. Thanks.”

Chaewon handed over her notebook and picked up her massive textbook to keep on with her work.

A few moments passed by before Hyejoo spoke up, “Hey Chae?”

Chaewon didn’t look up from her notes but responded, “Mhm?”

“Do you want to play minecraft after we finish our homework?”

Chaewon stopped writing notes and looked at Hyejoo surprised, “It’s been ages since we’ve played it. I don’t have my laptop with me.”

Hyejoo chewed on her lip nervously and said, “I was playing a bit on Sunday. I found something I wanted to show you. Just log into your account from my computer.”

“Something new?”

“Um, sort of. I made something for you.”

Chaewon’s eyes lit up, “For me? Oh I want to see. Let’s hurry up and finish.”

Hyejoo nodded her head and went back to her assignment. Chaewon’s notes were very helpful and well organized. Hyejoo finished the assignment in no time and even felt a bit silly for how much she had struggled with it. As she closed her textbook, Chaewon did the same. They looked at each other and smiled.

“All done, Hyejoo?”

“Yes.”

“Were my notes helpful?”

“Yeah, they helped me a lot. Thank you. We should probably order the pizza now so we can eat after we play for a bit.”

“Sounds good.”

They ordered their pizza and Hyejoo pulled the seat out from under her desk.

“Come sit.”

Chaewon took a seat and Hyejoo handed her the notebook with all their usernames and passwords to all their gaming accounts.

“How did you know I forgot?”

Hyejoo shrugged, “Just a guess.”

Chaewon flipped through as Hyejoo opened up the game. Once Chaewon was logged in she waited for Hyejoo to give her directions.

“Just go to the farm you set up.”

Chaewon did as she was told. She was adjusting to the controls. It really had been a while since they had played. Once new games would come out they would abandon whatever they were currently playing. But they had had a lot of fun times with this game.

Chaewon went to her farm and saw that it was in perfect condition.

“I thought it would be all ruined by now. I haven’t logged in for over a year.”

“I cleaned it up for you when I played on Sunday. It was pretty barren.”

“Oh thank you! I think it looks better than before actually.”

Chaewon smiled at Hyejoo, who was blushing slightly.

“Where do I go now?”

“Go up the hill.”

Hyejoo was beginning to feel nervous. She had been doing pretty well but now it was starting to hit her that this could possibly go wrong and Chaewon would hate her. She watched as Chaewon made it up the hill. It was now or never.

“Where now, Hyejoo?”

Hyejoo took a deep breath and whispered, “Look to the north grounds.”    
  
Hyejoo then shut her eyes tightly.

Chaewon moved her character and gasped at what she saw.

On the ground, written with blocks of flowers were the words  _ “Will you be my girlfriend?” _

There was silence and Hyejoo opened one eye to see Chaewon’s reaction. She had brought her hands up to her mouth and there were tears in her eyes.

“Chae?”

Chaewon quickly turned and embraced Hyejoo tightly.

“Yes. Yes, yes, yes. I’ll be your girlfriend.”

Hyejoo let out a sigh of relief and hugged Chaewon back just as tightly. Chaewon began to sniffle and Hyejoo cupped her cheeks in her hands.

“Chae? What’s wrong? Are you ok?”

Chaewon shook her head and said, “I’m ok, I’m just so happy, Hyejoo. I’m so so happy.”

Hyejoo smiled, “I’m really happy too.”

Chaewon stared into Hyejoo’s eyes, examining every single feature on her pretty face. She brushed back some of her hair and tenderly caressed Hyejoo’s cheek. Hyejoo leaned into her touch and closed her eyes, relishing the moment.

“Hyejoo….can I kiss you?”

Hyejoo’s eyes shot open and she cupped her hand over Chaewon’s.

“A-are you sure? I mean, I really want to, yes but I don’t want to rush into anything if you don’t want to. I mean, even if we are girlfriends...oh god we are girlfriends. I mean...yes….yes please kiss me.”

Chaewon giggled. This was a side to Hyejoo that she didn’t know too well. She got flustered and shy sometimes but this was so different.

Chaewon leaned in and brushed their noses together. Hyejoo closed her eyes and puckered her lips. Chaewon almost wanted to tease her but she didn’t have the heart to. She pressed their lips together and it’s as if little sparks went off in between them. It was very brief and Chaewon began to pull away but Hyejoo held her in place. With her eyes closed she said, “No, I want more.”

Hyejoo pulled her close and they kissed again. This time it lasted longer and Hyejoo began to feel light-headed. The air in the room became heavy and Hyejoo felt like she was lost in a haze. She wondered if Chaewon felt the same. This was the first time either girl had kissed someone and even though they were a bit clumsy and awkward, everything felt so perfect.

They broke apart only because they forgot they needed to breathe. They quickly caught their breath and Chaewon placed her hands on Hyejoo’s waist. They kissed once again, gaining more confidence this time. Hyejoo wrapped her arms around Chaewon’s neck, which was only a little uncomfortable because they were both sitting on chairs and because Chaewon was a lot shorter.

Before things could escalate, the doorbell rang. They both jumped, not expecting the noise. Chaewon was the first to speak, “Is the pizza already here?”

Hyejoo a little out of breath, looked at the time. It had been about 45 minutes.

Hyejoo shyly said, “Were we kissing for that long?”

“I guess we were….”

The girls felt a little embarrassed but quickly brushed it off and giggled. The doorbell rang once again. Hyejoo gave her girlfriend another peck on the lips and left the room to answer the door.

Chaewon sat in the chair and fanned herself. She pinched her arm to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.

She wasn’t.

Hyejoo had really asked her. They were really a couple now. They had really just kissed for 45 minutes. Chaewon let out a little squeal. She looked at the computer screen and felt herself tear up again at reading the message. She took a picture with her phone so she could look at it whenever she wanted to.

At that moment Chaewon made a promise to herself that she would always support and love Hyejoo no matter what happened. She would help her deal with her emotions as much as she could. Even if she wasn’t ready to say it to her, Chaewon was in love with Hyejoo.

“Chae! I set up the pizza, come eat!”

Chaewon looked back at the message again and smiled.

“Coming!!”

 


	11. Rumors

“So I’ll see you after school?” Hyunjin asked Heejin, who was leaning on her shoulder and holding her hand. Heejin answered, “Yeah, we can do some work for an hour. You have practice after, right?” 

“Yeah.” 

Several weeks had passed and Hyunjin’s arm had healed completely. The doctor had given her clearance a week prior and was surprised at how quickly she had healed. Hyunjin thanked Yerim mostly, because her friend had looked up so much information and had helped her with her exercises. She was as annoying as her mother but in the end all the nagging really helped her heal a little more quickly. 

Hyunjin met up with Heejin almost every day for tutoring and her art had improved greatly. She had already started working on her final assignment and she had actually purchased a sketchbook. It was mostly full of cats but there was one page that Hyunjin didn’t want anyone to see. It was her secret and nobody knew about it. Not even Yerim. 

The bell rang and the girls sat up from the bench they were on. Hyunjin handed Heejin her bag and slipped a note inside. 

“Read that when you get into class. I’ll see you later!” 

Hyunjin planted a quick kiss to Heejin’s cheek and ran off. 

Heejin didn’t get a chance to respond but she placed her hand on the spot where Hyunjin had kissed her and blushed. In the distance Heejin could see that Hyunjin had caught up with Yerim and they headed to their first class together. Hyunjin rubbed Yerim’s head and the cheery girl yelled out.    
  
“Unnie!!! I just brushed my hair!!” 

Heejin chuckled but felt a little sad she didn’t have any classes or even lunch with Hyunjin but she was content with seeing her before school started and after school almost every day. They had grown closer as the weeks passed by and there was definitely a big change from Hyunjin. Heejin had always been a bit more bold and physical but Hyunjin had been showing her a much softer side. She would hug her out of nowhere and sometimes whisper sweet things into her ear. Heejin wasn’t sure what it meant. Hyunjin was also very affectionate with Yerim but somehow it felt a little different with her. Hyunjin was always giving her kisses on the cheek or on her forehead. It made Heejin feel all fuzzy inside. 

Heejin snapped out of her thoughts and hurried to her first class of the day. She opened the note from Hyunjin, which had her name and a little heart next to it. 

_ “Have an amazing day! You’ll do well, like you always do!”  _

There was a small cat face next to the message. Heejin brought the note up to her chest and smiled from ear to ear. This wasn’t the first time Hyunjin had given her these kinds of notes. The first one happened because Heejin was having a rough day after being unable to make any progress on a piece she was working on. She had admitted to Hyunjin that she really depended on kind words from family or friends when she was stressed out. It made her feel a bit helpless at times, however. But Hyunjin was quick to shower her with kind words of encouragement and she would write her notes every time Heejin was having troubles or was worried. 

Heejin had told her a week prior that she had a history exam coming up and it was one she really needed to study for. Heejin looked at the note again thinking about how Hyunjin remembered she had the exam that day. Heejin neatly folded the note back up and placed it in her folder with the handful of other notes that Hyunjin had written her. Somehow she felt like she had been energized and was ready to take on the exam.    
  
\-----   
  
“Unnie, are you starting practice a little later today?” 

Yerim and Hyunjin sat together at lunch doing homework that they had put off. Hyunjin was busy tapping away on her phone and didn’t answer. Yerim waved her hand in front of her friend’s face. 

“Hyunjin!” 

Hyunjin jumped and put her phone down. 

“Sorry, Yerim. What did you say?” 

Yerim scoffed, “Who were you texting? Heejin?” 

Hyunjin bit her lip, “Maybe.” 

Yerim rolled her eyes playfully, “When are you going to stop being such a tease and just ask her out? I saw you kiss her cheek this morning and my goodness that girl looks like she’s completely in love with you. Just ask her already.” 

Hyunjin placed her head down on top of her text book and looked at her phone. She reread Heejin’s last message and sighed dreamily. 

_ “Thank you for the note!! I felt my brain cells recuperate! I’m pretty sure I aced the test!”  _ __   
__   
Yerim poked the back of Hyunjin’s head and Hyunjin just turned to look at her. Yerim raised a brow, “Well? Are you going to or not?” 

“I don’t know, maybe it’s too quick.” Hyunjin looked at her phone again. She really wasn’t sure. She was being extra affectionate and it felt right but what if Heejin wasn’t thinking of her that way? What then? She didn’t want to lose the friendship she had formed with her. Maybe she was crossing a line she shouldn’t be crossing.

Yerim groaned, “Hyunjin, you went on a date with her like a week after meeting her.”    


Hyunjin sat up and glared at Yerim, “That was a friendly outing damn it.” 

Yerim crossed her arms, “She slept over that night. She borrowed your clothes. She’s left clothes at your house. You girls never stop texting. HYUNJIN COME ON.” 

“What? You leave clothes at my house all the time. I hug you and kiss you too!!” 

“Hyunjin, we have known each other since like forever. We are practically sisters. The way you and Heejin look at each other is different. Even when you aren’t physically together, you are spiritually attached by the hip. You are this close to scissoring in public.” 

Yerim brought up two fingers with a small space in between them. Hyunjin slapped her hand away and almost shouted, “Oh my god Choi Yerim, I’m going to kick your ass! Shut up.” 

Yerim covered her mouth to try and control her laughter. She had to admit that she probably went too far but Hyunjin’s reaction was just too good. She let out one final giggle and said, “Sorry, sorry but come on Hyunjin. Ask her out. What if someone gets to her before you do?” 

Hyunjin pouted, “Who? She hasn’t mentioned anyone else and she’s told me everything about herself.” 

Yerim tilted her head and looked at Hyunjin with a “see what I mean?” look. But she still wanted to mess with her more. 

“I don’t know, unnie. Maybe I’ll try to romance her. She is a cutie. She’s talented. She’s nice and sweet. She’s definitely my type.” 

Hyunjin glared daggers into Yerim. 

“Yerim, I’ll beat your ass so badly you’ll forget how gay you are.” 

Yerim stuck her tongue out and shrugged. Hyunjin wasn’t going to do a damn thing to her. 

“I’m just saying, unnie. You better hurry. Pull a Hyejoo and ask her out through minecraft.” 

The girls broke out into laughter. When they had found out, they really wanted to tease Hyejoo but seeing how happy the girls were together, they just couldn’t do it. Besides, Hyejoo was doing a lot better with controlling her emotions and expressing her feelings. It was a welcome change for all of them. 

“Well, unnie? What are you going to do?” 

“I don’t know. Ahhhh, I really don’t know. I can’t think right now.” 

Yerim sighed and began to gather her books. 

“Oh unnie. I won’t press you. But answer my question from earlier. Are you going to be at practice later?” 

Hyunjin lit up, “Yes! Yes, I am. After tutoring, I’ll head over. Just run some drills and hand everyone this sheet.” 

Hyunjin pulled out a small stack of papers and handed them to Yerim. They were player formations that Hyunjin had been working on. Yerim examined the sheet and smirked. 

“You’ve been hard at work, huh?” 

Hyunjin put up a fist, “We are winning the championship this year.” 

Yerim put up her fist as well and nodded her head. 

“Ok, unnie. I’ll hand out the sheets. I’m going to math now. I’ll see you later. Don’t daydream too much about Heejin.” 

Yerim winked at her friend and scurried away before Hyunjin could protest. Hyunjin growled and took her phone out again. She reread Heejin’s message and smiled. She couldn’t wait to see her later. 

\--------   
  
“How’s it coming along?” 

Hyunjin pointed to a canvas that was covered in drapes. She didn’t dare pull up the covering so as not to mess it up in any way.  

Heejin looked over at what Hyunjin was pointing at and said, “Wanna see?” 

Hyunjin nodded her head excitedly. Heejin giggled and pulled the drapes off. It was a beautiful portrait of a woman looking outside of a window. Hyunjin looked at it in awe. 

“It’s really beautiful, Heejin. Is this what you’ve been working on for the past couple of weeks?” 

No matter how many times Hyunjin praised her, Heejin still felt her stomach fill with butterflies at her kind words. 

“Yes, she gave me a bit of trouble in the beginning. I wasn’t sure how to pose her.” 

“I always wondered what was going on. You always looked so tense while working. I worried a little when I’d see you with that expression.” 

Heejin half smiled at the girl next to her. It was true that she was tense. As much as she loved to paint and draw, sometimes it frustrated her. She also didn’t like to show people before she was done. So while Hyunjin practiced her techniques, Heejin would sit across from her with the canvas in front of her. Even now, she still wasn’t done completely but she was happy enough with her work that she felt confident showing it to Hyunjin. 

“I’m almost done with her. I just need a few more small details.” 

Hyunjin continued to examine the painting. It was amazing. Hyunjin could only dream of creating something like it. Heejin felt a bit shy with the attention that Hyunjin was giving the painting. 

“Hey, let me see your sketchbook. I want to see what you’ve been working on.” 

“Hm? Oh, sure! Just don’t make any comparisons. I’m nowhere near as good as you are.” 

Hyunjin pulled her sketchbook out of her bookbag and sat down. She looked at Heejin expectantly. Of course Heejin knew that Hyunjin wanted her to sit down next to her. Heejin sat in her usual spot and Hyunjin began to flip through her sketchbook. There were a lot of silly doodles but there were several nice sketches. One picture in particular caught Heejin’s eye. 

“Who’s this?” 

“Oh, it’s Kahei unnie.” 

Heejin raised a brow and said, “Why does she have antlers?” 

Hyunjin shrugged, “Kahei really likes deers. She thinks they are cute. Her dream is to go to Japan and visit that one park. It’s full of deer and they just roam around. Between you and me, Haseul has been planning a trip for them both after they graduate.” 

“Woah, Haseul must really love Kahei…” 

“They’ve been through a lot but yeah, she does. And Kahei really loves her too.” 

Heejin nodded her head, not knowing what to say. She continued to flip through Hyunjin’s sketchbook when she noticed a sheet sticking out.

“Oh? What’s this?” 

She began to pull the sheet out and Hyunjin panicked and stopped her. 

“Oh don’t look at that. It’s nothing, haha.” 

Hyunjin took the sketchbook back slowly while laughing nervously. Heejin looked at her strangely. 

“...What did you draw?” 

Hyunjin waved her hands in front of her face and said, “It’s nothing, really. I was just messing around. It’s a silly thing. You don’t need to see it.” 

Hyunjin stuffed the sketchbook deep into her bookbag and zipped it up. She nervously looked at her watch. 

“Uhhh, I should go. Yerim and the girls are waiting for me.” 

She stood up quickly and Heejin sat in her seat dumbfounded. Hyunjin headed towards the door but stopped midway. She didn’t want to leave like that. Plus she looked crazy. She turned back to Heejin. 

“...Do you want to come watch me practice?” 

Heejin was used to Hyunjin’s weirdness sometimes. She wasn’t too surprised by it but she wondered what was in the sketchbook. Instead of making Hyunjin feel bad, she looked at her with delight. 

“Yes! I have to finish some stuff up here first but I’ll be there in a little.” 

Hyunjin felt some of her tension melt away. Heejin was really good with keeping her grounded, which was strange because she was also often the cause of her nervousness.    
  
“Ok! See you then!” 

Hyunjin left the room and closed the door behind her. She sprinted towards the field, feeling herself swell with happiness. Her arm was healed, she was doing better in her art class and she had met Heejin. Things just seemed to be going her way these days. 

Hyunjin reached the field and her team members stopped their drills to cheer for her. 

“Unnie! It’s great to have you back!”

“Please don’t let yourself get hurt again!”

“We missed you!!” 

Hyunjin grinned from ear to ear and beckoned over Yerim and Haseul. 

“I’m happy to be back team, but let’s take a moment to thank both Yerim and Haseul who took over and have led the team in winning several games. Let’s keep up this energy and win the championship. We can do it!” 

The team, including Hyunjin, bowed deeply before the two girls. Yerim and Haseul were both very shy about it but they bowed back in respect. 

“With that said, let’s go!” 

Hyunjin led her team with new drills she had thought of during her down time. They were definitely different but very efficient. Hyunjin hadn’t lost any of her skill while she was gone. It almost seemed like she had gotten even better. Her strong energy seemed to spread to the other team members and they gave it their all. That was something Hyunjin was really good at. She could sometimes be a nervous mess when faced with difficult situations outside of the field but when was playing soccer, she had total control. 

Hyunjin blew her whistle and let the girls take a short break. She went to the water fountains to cool down and rest as well. She looked at the time and wondered when Heejin would show up. 

“Yo, Hyunjin!” 

Hyunjin turned to where her name was being called. There were two members from an opposing team approaching her. A pretty girl named Yoohyeon and her quiet friend, Yoobin. They were part of one of the teams that was set to participate in the semi finals. Hyunjin had no issues with them but she wondered why they were around. Hyunjin greeted them with a bit of hesitance. 

“Hey, how’s it going?” 

Yoohyeon came closer while Yoobin stood off to the side and just waved. She had never been a people person but she always stuck close to Yoohyeon. Hyunjin always found it odd since Yoohyeon was very social and Yoobin really wasn’t at all. 

“Hyunjin! I heard you would be at practice today. Is your arm completely healed?” 

Hyunjin raised a brow. How many people had known about her injury? 

“Yeah, I’m back at one hundred percent..”

Yoohyeon smiled and said, “That’s great! You were out for a while huh? I would have gone crazy not being able to play.” 

Hyunjin tried to relax but couldn’t help the feeling of dread that was spreading throughout her body. She never had any issues with these girls but it was really strange for them to be around. 

“Um, yeah. Luckily, I had a lot of help from Yerim.” 

Yoohyeon nodded her head and leaned against a nearby pillar and crossed her arms. 

“Ok, listen Hyunjin. I’m going to cut to the chase here. I’ve been hearing some things and I thought I should let you know. I have a lot of respect for you and your team so I think you should be informed.” 

Hyunjin was unsure of what to say. She looked over to Yoobin for any sort of reaction but she also looked unsure. 

“Yeah? What’s going on?” Hyunjin braced herself for what Yoohyeon was going to say. 

“Word has gotten around that Sooyoung intentionally ran into you to get you injured. She wanted you hurt enough that you’d be out for the rest of the year. She’s hoping to win the championship this year.”

Hyunjin felt the heat rise up to her head. She instantly grew furious. She always knew Sooyoung was a bitch and this further proved it. 

“Who told you this?” 

“It was one of the girls from her team. Sooyoung was talking a lot of shit to her team members. That girl doesn’t really care for Sooyoung as a captain and I’m friends with her so she was telling me about it.” 

Hyunjin couldn’t believe what she was hearing. It drove her absolutely mad. She had been training so hard throughout the year and Sooyoung thought she could just fuck with her like that.

Yoohyeon came close to Hyunjin and whispered in her ear, “She’s one cocky bitch, isn’t she? She’s trying to ruin you. Good on you for healing so quickly.” 

Hyunjin didn’t respond. Her hands were balled into fists on her lap. 

“Unnie!” 

The three girls all turned to the source of the voice. Yerim and Haseul were approaching the water fountains. Yerim eyed the two girls suspiciously and quickly went to stand next to Hyunjin. Haseul also stood next to her and said, “What brings you girls around here?” 

Yoohyeon smiled innocently and said, “We just wanted to congratulate Hyunjin on a fast recovery.” 

Haseul narrowed her eyes and looked over at Yoobin who said nothing at all. 

“Well, I guess we’ll be leaving now. Nice talking to you Hyunjin. See you around.” 

Yoohyeon began walking away with Yoobin trailing behind her. Yoobin looked at Hyunjin for a moment as if she wanted to say something but instead looked down and continued to follow Yoohyeon. It was something that both Yerim and Haseul noticed. 

Yerim looked down at Hyunjin who looked off. Yerim had never seen her that way. 

“Hyunjin? You ok? What did they say?” 

Hyunjin was trying to keep her composure. Haseul placed a hand on her shoulder and said “Hey, come on, are you ok? You look upset. Did she say something to you? You can talk to us about it.” 

Hyunjin took a deep breath and stood up. 

“I’m ok. Let’s just go back to practice.” Hyunjin began to walk back to the field. Yerim followed behind, ready to say something but Haseul held her back and shook her head. She whispered, “Let her calm down. Yoohyeon definitely told her something but let’s not press her. Today is supposed to be a good day for her. She will talk to us when she’s ready.” 

Yerim wasn’t too sure, “But did you see Yoobin’s face?” 

Haseul nodded her head again, “Yeah. We will deal with it later, Yerim. Let her have her moment.” 

Yerim sighed deeply but Haseul was probably right. The two girls went back to the field and Hyunjin had already started the next set of drills. Hyunjin was going at it hard, trying to rid herself of the anger she felt. She would talk to her friends about it at a later time. She just wanted to get back into her groove. 

No more than fifteen minutes passed before Hyunjin spotted Heejin approaching the field. She was ready to call her over when she spotted her freshman groupies surrounding her. She blew her whistle and had Yerim take over briefly.  Yerim looked over to where Hyunjin was looking and said, “Unnie take it easy on them.” 

Hyunjin said nothing and sprinted towards Heejin. She could hear the girls saying things to her. 

“Who do you think you are?” 

“Why are you so close to Hyunjin unnie?” 

“You think you are cute?” 

“Stay away from Hyunjin unnie.”

“You think you are good enough for her?” 

Heejin stood frozen. This is what she was always afraid of. Hyunjin’s groupies were scary. 

Hyunjin made her presence known and said, “What’s going on?” 

The girls broke the circle they had formed and stood in a line. They all started speaking at once, trying to diffuse the situation. Hyunjin put her arm around Heejin’s waist and pulled her close. 

“Don’t ever speak to Heejin like that.” 

The girls took a step back but tried to defend themselves. 

“Unnie, we weren’t doing anything bad!”

“We just want to make sure Heejin is a good person.”

“Unnie we are just looking out for you.”

Hyunjin lost her patience and didn’t let them continue. She gritted her teeth and firmly spoke, “Listen, can you girls just fuck off? I don’t like any of you. All you girls do is harass me and treat me like I’m some piece of ass to lust over. Do me a favor and don’t ever bother me again. And don’t you dare ever bother Heejin again or I’ll make your lives a living hell. Don’t test me.” 

Heejin gulped. She had never seen Hyunjin this angry. She had to admit that if she was in the girls’ position she would be shaking in her boots. 

The girls again tried to mend the situation but Hyunjin was having none of it. 

“Go away!” 

The girls scattered with their tails between their legs. Hyunjin glared at them all as they left. She turned to Heejin and embraced her. She whispered in her ear, “I’m sorry that happened. I didn’t ever think they would do something like that.” 

Heejin had to admit it was a little scary but they were only freshmen anyway. However, Heejin didn’t mind what was happening at the moment. 

“Thank you for coming over but are you ok? I’ve never seen you so angry before.” 

Hyunjin pulled away from the embrace and said, “I’m alright.” 

Truthfully, Hyunjin was not a confrontational person. She hated fights. She hated arguing. She liked to remain chill for the most part. But when she heard what the girls were saying, she snapped. It also didn’t help that she was on edge from what she had found out a few moments earlier. 

“I try not to get angry. I guess I did go overboard. Sorry you had to see that. Those girls have been harassing me all year and it just pissed me off how they treated you. Nobody is allowed to do that to my friends.” 

Heejin reached for Hyunjin’s hand and brought it up to her lips. She gave it a quick, tender kiss and smiled at her. 

“It’s ok. We all have our moments. I just hope you never get that angry with me.” 

Hyunjin embraced Heejin once again and said, “I don’t think I could ever be mad at you, Heejin.” 

They stood there for a while until they heard someone clearing their throat. 

“Ahem, unnie, is everything ok? I saw what happened.” 

Yerim stood before them and she wore the usual smirk that Hyunjin had grown accustomed to whenever she was doing something with Heejin. 

“It’s fine. Just the usual shit with those girls. Let’s get back to practice.” 

Yerim looked at the time, “Actually, unnie, it’s already 5. We are done for the day. The girls are already in the locker rooms.” 

Hyunjin sighed. She had definitely lost track of time. 

“Alright, I’m going to go apologize to them for all the interruptions. Are you coming over to my place, Heejin?” 

Heejin nodded and said, “Yes, I’ll go wait on the bleachers while you change.” 

“Okay, let’s go Yerim.” 

The girls headed to the locker room and as they walked along, Yerim turned her head to look at Heejin. She wiggled her eyebrows at her. Heejin looked at her confused, not understanding what she meant. Yerim giggled and put her arm around Hyunjin’s shoulders. Was Yerim...teasing her?  

Yerim was feeling more comfortable with Heejin as time had passed and she thought she could start teasing her about Hyunjin. She just wanted them to get together already. It was so painfully obvious that they had feelings for each other but were too shy or in Hyunjin’s case, stupid, to do anything about it. She wanted to give them a little push. 

\------

“Yoohyeon, I don’t think you should have done that.” 

Yoobin was sitting on Yoohyeon’s bed, arms crossed and looking serious. Yoohyeon sat on her desk chair and sighed. 

“I had to.” 

“No, you didn’t. You are going to cause big issues for those girls. You know that what you said is a complete lie. You don’t know anyone on Sooyoung’s team and there’s no rumor.” 

Yoohyeon looked at a picture frame on her desk. It was of her and her team captain, Minji. She was graduating that year and had been on the school’s soccer team every single year she was in high school. They had never even gotten close to winning a championship. This was the first year that they had made it closer to the semi finals but the other teams were the best in the league. 

“I just want to win this year. I want this win for Minji. If Hyunjin and Sooyoung get into a fight they might get disqualified and our team can pull through. We can take on the other team. They are nowhere near as good as the other two.   

Yoobin shook her head, “If Minji finds out she’s going to be angry at you and there’s no way she will want to be your gf.” 

“Well, she won’t find out. Right? You won’t tell her, right?” 

Yoobin said nothing. She didn’t feel right. Yoohyeon got up and sat in front of her best friend and gave her the cutest puppy dog eyes she could muster. Yoobin raised a brow, unfazed by the look. 

“I’m not making any promises.” 

Yoohyeon pouted. She could only hope Yoobin wouldn’t spill the beans. Her plan was perfect other than that. She did feel bad about it. She did like Hyunjin but she wanted this for Minji. She deserved it. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	12. Memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't you gays just love filler chapters? No? Oh well cuz this is gonna be one. Next chapter it GETS REAL. Brace yourselves. but for now, let's get some haseul/kahei backstory.

“We’ll see you later. Kahei and I have to do some college prep work but we will be back around 8 to take Heejin home.”

Haseul and Kahei stood at the entrance of Hyunjin’s home, waving at the three girls inside. Yerim had made herself comfortable in the living room while Hyunjin and Heejin waved back to the girls. Heejin bowed her head in thanks. 

“You really don’t have to take me home. I can take the train.” 

Haseul ruffled the top of Heejin’s head and said, “Nonsense. I wouldn’t feel right leaving you to walk to the train station at night. Doesn’t matter how safe it is around here. Kahei and I don’t mind, right babe?” 

Kahei nodded her head in agreement and said, “We have no issues with it. And we’d rather you get home more quickly anyway.”   
  
It wasn’t a complete lie. They both definitely wanted to get Heejin home safely but Kahei also wanted to avoid Heejin calling Sooyoung to pick her up.   


Heejin bowed her head again. 

“Thank you, I really appreciate it.” 

Haseul winked at her and looked at the other girls sternly, “And you two better behave. Don’t start showing Heejin the weird shit you like to look at. Heejin is an angel. Don’t start corrupting her.” 

Yerim and Hyunjin looked at each other with indignation. Yerim sat up from where she was laying and crossed her arms. “We don’t do anything like that!” 

Haseul raised a brow, “Yes you do. You flood our group chat with weird video edits you find on twitter.”

Hyunjin scoffed, “I’ve seen you laugh at those. I’ve seen you bring the phone up closer to your face to take a better look too.” 

Haseul narrowed her eyes and took a step towards Hyunjin, “Take that back….” 

Hyunjin didn’t budge but a mischievous glint formed in her eyes, “Last time you saw one particular video and you said, “I wanna try that with Kahei” and it was two girls----”

Haseul let out a yell, “Shush!!!!!!!!!” 

Hyunjin smirked while Yerim began to laugh loudly. Heejin stood awkwardly in place, not knowing if she should laugh or not. Haseul’s face had turned a deep shade of red and she glanced over at Kahei who was blushing slightly. 

“Uh, don’t listen to her babe. Let’s go.” 

Haseul grabbed Kahei’s hand and led her out while quietly closing the door behind her. Hyunjin sprinted to the window to watch them walk to the car. They were still holding hands but Haseul was definitely tense. As they entered the car, Haseul caught a glimpse of Hyunjin looking at her through the window. Haseul gave her the finger before entering her car. Hyunjin stuck her tongue out and giggled. It was a thing now. That was Haseul’s way of saying goodbye. She turned back to the two girls.   
  
“Oh man, I am going to hear it tomorrow. Not my fault she was looking at that stuff.”   
  
Yerim was still giggling, “Send her a message with the link disguised so she can open it in front of Kahei.” 

Hyunjin quickly took out her phone, “That’s a good idea. Let me find it. It’s in my bookmarks.” 

“No, don’t do that! It’s gonna embarrass her!!” Heejin marched up to Hyunjin and punched her arm roughly. Hyunjin looked at her, mouth wide open and rubbed her arm in pain. Heejin could really pack a punch. 

“Hey, that’s so mean. You need to be gentle with me.” 

Heejin crossed her arms, “No, I don’t. You are healed up now. I can be as rough as I want.”    
  
Yerim got up from the couch and stood behind Heejin and cheekily said, “I’ve noticed you like to hit Hyunjin a lot. You got some kind of kink, Heejin?” 

Heejin blushed while Yerim chuckled. Hyunjin shook her head, “Yerim, be nice. Don’t expose her like that.” 

Yerim shrugged, “I was just making an observation. But the real question here is, do you like it Hyunjin?” 

Hyunjin glared at her, "None of your business." 

Yerim blew a kiss towards Hyunjin, who caught it and pretended to throw it in the trash. 

Heejin let out a small sigh. She and Yerim had become closer as time had passed but she could never get used to the things that came out of her mouth. Yerim had no filter. It wasn't exactly a bad thing. She was very blunt and to the point. But she was easy going and quick to help anybody who was feeling down. She had a way of making people feel better no matter the situation. But Yerim was also very observant and she often used that to her advantage. 

"Girls, we have homework to do. Maybe we should get started…." Heejin was doing her best to try and change the subject.

The two other girls groaned. Especially Yerim, who had a math assignment she needed to work on. 

"Right, let's get started." Hyunjin pulled the seat at the table and pointed at Heejin to sit down. Yerim watched as Heejin sat and then Hyunjin sat down next to her. 

"What about me?" 

Hyunjin scoffed and said, "You got arms. Pull the seat yourself." 

Yerim wanted to say something back but felt herself grinning, "I guess I do." 

As much as she wanted to tease Hyunjin about pulling the seat, she couldn't. It was really sweet and so unlike Hyunjin. She wasn't going to take that away from her. 

\---------

"Thanks again. I really appreciate you girls always bringing me home." 

Heejin exited Haseul's car and closed the door. The girls inside waved at her and Haseul said, "We'll see you at school tomorrow. Goodnight!"

Heejin waved at them one last time and turned to go up the path to her home. Haseul and Kahei watched her until she made it safely inside and then began to drive away. They sat in a comfortable silence and Kahei looked out the window. There wasn't much to look at. Haseul's outburst from earlier had been settled and Kahei learned something new about her girlfriend that made her a blush a little. 

Suddenly Haseul spoke and Kahei was driven away from her thoughts. 

"I really like Heejin. She's a nice girl. Responsible and sweet. She's a breath of fresh air from those goblins we have to deal with everyday."

Kahei pondered for a moment. Haseul was right. Heejin was definitely an easy person to like and get along with. 

"I like her too. And it's obvious Hyunjin likes her a lot as well."

Haseul pulled up to the driveway of her home. The girls sat in the car and continued their chat. Haseul said, "I wonder when Hyunjin will ask her to be her girlfriend. Girls like Heejin don't come around often." 

Kahei answered, "I have a feeling it's going to happen really soon. I think we need to talk to her about Sooyoung as soon as possible." 

Haseul raised a brow, "Are you still worried about that? I don't think it's a big deal…"

Kahei pouted, "I know you think I'm being paranoid but you know how Hyunjin is. It's going to bother her if she finds out any other way. I don't even want to picture her in the same room as Sooyoung." 

"Honey, Hyunjin is a big goof but I'm telling you she has a good head on her shoulders." 

Kahei shook her head, "She does have a good head on her shoulders but she's also really stubborn and has a strong sense of justice. She's never liked Sooyoung and was injured by her. It's going to make her feel weird if she has to find out about this in a direct confrontation. I just really would rather she finds out through us both. I feel like she's going to feel betrayed or something. It's silly but I really don't want Hyunjin to get hurt."  

Haseul could clearly see how much this meant to Kahei. She had a real soft spot for the soccer player.  Kahei had always been very grateful to how nice Hyunjin had been to her when she first moved in. Out of all the girls, Kahei babied Hyunjin the most. 

Haseul reached over to give Kahei's hand a gentle squeeze and said, "Ok baby, let's talk to her this weekend. If it means this much to you, we will do it." 

"Thank you." 

Haseul stared into Kahei's eyes for a brief moment and felt a surge of love run through her body. She leaned forward and cupped Kahei's cheek and gave her a kiss. It was definitely not their first kiss but somehow each time it happened, Haseul would smile as if it was. 

Haseul pulled away and continued looking at the girl before her. Kahei was blushing but held a playful grin. 

"And what was that for?"

Haseul kissed her again as Kahei giggled against her lips. Haseul stroked her cheeks tenderly. 

"Kahei, I just really love you a lot. And this is a bit sudden and completely off topic but I've been thinking about how it's going to be our one year anniversary soon." 

Kahei's eyes widened. 

"Has that much time already passed?" 

Haseul nodded her head and said, "Yes. A lot has happened huh?"

"Yeah, so much.” 

It was in that very car that Haseul had confessed her feelings to Kahei. After helping Kahei out the first day they met, Haseul was smitten. They spent almost every waking moment together. Haseul could understand how Hyunjin was feeling with Heejin because it was the same way she felt for Kahei.   


It hadn’t been an easy time for them however. Haseul had always struggled with her sexuality. She had envied Hyunjin for how open and at ease she was with herself. For Haseul, it meant something that could affect her long term and she needed to make sure of it for herself. The first time she held hands with Kahei, however, she knew. The first person she told was of course Hyunjin. 

“I like Kahei.” 

Hyunjin didn’t even flinch.

“Well duh. Everyone knows that. Go tell her already.” 

Haseul knew what she needed to do but it still scared the shit out of her. What if Kahei didn’t feel the same way? What would her family think? What would her little sister say? 

Haseul was so nervous the day she was going to do it. It was the weekend and they had just dropped off the girls after spending the day together. It was customary for Kahei to stay over and they would just talk until late in the night. They had parked in the driveway and Kahei was getting ready to get out of the car when Haseul stopped her. 

“Kahei, wait a second. I’d like to talk for a bit.” 

Kahei didn’t question her but instead gave her her full attention. Kahei knew by then when Haseul was being serious. She looked at Haseul and tilted her head.

“What’s wrong?”    
  
Haseul’s confidence quickly deflated and she felt her throat go dry. A simple cute look from Kahei was all it took to bring her down. But this was no time to chicken out. Haseul cleared her throat and pushed forward. She took Kahei’s hand into her own and tenderly stroked it. 

“There’s something I need to tell you. Something really important. I hope that after I tell you it won’t affect our friendship. But if it does, then please help me to fix it because my greatest fear right now is losing you. Can you do that for me?”   
  
Kahei placed her other hand on top of Haseul’s and said, “Of course but I don’t think there’s anything that could affect our friendship. If anything, I think that what you are about to say might make our friendship stronger.” 

Haseul gulped. Did Kahei already know?

“Well, Kahei, since the first day I met you I’ve felt something different about you. I thought that maybe you were my friend soulmate. We connected so quickly and every single day seemed to become a bit brighter because you were around. But we started spending so much time together and I started feeling something. I’d look forward to seeing your face first thing in the morning. I’d sleep soundly knowing you were the last person I talk to at night. I can’t imagine my life without you in it. I’ve struggled with this feeling for a little while, not because I hate it but because I’m nervous about what my family will think. But I can’t ignore this anymore.” 

Haseul took a deep breath and clearly said what she was feeling. 

“Kahei, I’ve fallen in love with you. You don’t have to accept my feelings but I just needed to let you know.”   
  
A smug smile formed on Kahei’s lips. Haseul was unsure what it meant but the air in the car felt playful somehow.

“Why are you smiling at me? Aren’t you going to say anything?” 

Kahei still didn’t say anything but she leaned forward so close to Haseul’s face that their lips were mere centimeters away from each other. Haseul froze and closed her eyes. She could hear Kahei’s giggles and then felt something soft press against her lips. Kahei was kissing her. Haseul couldn’t believe it. It was brief but enough to turn Haseul into mush. When Kahei pulled away, Haseul still had her eyes closed.    


“Open your eyes, silly.” 

Haseul opened one eye cautiously and saw that Kahei was just sitting there smiling at her. Haseul was so confused. 

“You...you just kissed me?” 

“Yeah?”

“D-does that mean you love me too?” 

Kahei leaned forward and kissed Haseul again. It was another brief kiss but Haseul was starting to feel dizzy. Kahei took her hand and placed a kiss on Haseul’s knuckles. 

“I do. I love you too. I couldn’t help myself. I’ve known you were going to do this for a while but now that it’s finally happened, I just wanted to kiss you. I want to keep kissing you but sitting in this car isn’t exactly comfortable.” 

“Wait...how did you know?” 

Kahei smirked, “Hyunjin told me.” 

Haseul groaned, “Oh my god, that little shit. I’m going to kick her ass.” 

“No, don’t. She wasn’t doing it to be an asshole. She was looking out for us.” 

Haseul pouted and Kahei poked her arm. 

“Don’t make that face. It all worked out in the end.” 

“Yeah but----” 

Haseul mumbled quietly to herself and Kahei kissed her once again to silence her. 

“Don’t be a baby. Now let’s go inside before your parents start wondering why we’ve just been sitting here.” 

Haseul tensed up at the mention of her parents. 

“Kahei, do your parents know about you?” 

“Hm? Yeah they do.” 

“How did they react when you told them?” 

“They didn’t care. They said as long as I’m happy that’s all that mattered.” 

Haseul sighed, “I don’t know how my parents will react.” 

There was a moment of silence. Kahei wasn’t sure either. So far Haseul’s parents had been very kind. 

“..I think it will be ok...I hope. Just tell them when you are ready. I won’t pressure you into anything.”

But things didn’t go ok. A month into their relationship Haseul felt that she needed to tell her parents. They didn’t take it well. 

“How can you do this to us?” 

“This is disgusting. I knew something was going on with that girl. You weren’t like this until she showed up.” 

“We don’t want you here. Get out of our home.”  

Haseul was devastated but Kahei was there for her. Kahei became her rock throughout the ordeal. If she ever felt like crying, Kahei was there to lend her a shoulder. Kahei was there to wipe her tears away and Kahei was there to hold her close and help her feel protected. Whenever Haseul became angry, Kahei was there to soothe her. She only had positive and hopeful words to say to her. Kahei never once showed anger towards Haseul’s parents or fueled the fire against them. 

“They will come around. Don’t hate them.” 

And she was right. Only a month had passed before her parents called her. Haseul had been staying with Kahei and her family, who had no issues bringing her in. They were fine with helping her and encouraged the relationship with their daughter.    
  
Kahei held her hand as they walked up the driveway to her home. Haseul was nervous, scared, worried and basically just feeling like a mess. They stood at the door and Kahei felt her girlfriend shaking.    
  
She held her close and whispered in her ear, “No matter what happens, I am here for you. You know that I love you with all my heart and I won’t let a single thing happen to you. If you ever feel uncomfortable, squeeze my hand and we will leave. Ok?” 

Haseul nodded her head and wiped away the tears that had started forming in her eyes. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. She had keys but after everything that had happened she didn’t feel like she could just walk in. 

The girls braced themselves as they heard light footsteps approaching. They heard a thump as if someone was trying to jump to look through the peephole, and then a yell. 

“It’s Haseul!!” 

The door flung open and Yeojin jumped into Haseul’s arms. She began to bawl her eyes out. 

“Haseul, unnie, I missed you so much. Don’t leave me again. Please, please don’t leave me again.” 

Haseul held her little sister close to her body and began to shed tears as well. She stroked her head tenderly and kissed her forehead. They had had minimal contact during the time she was gone. Only a few texts and phone calls here and there because their parents had forbid Yeojin from reaching out. But Yeojin always found the way. Nobody was going to separate her from her older sister. 

Kahei held back her own tears and watched as the sisters embraced. She was a bit weary because she didn’t know how Yeojin was feelings towards her. Did she hate her? 

Almost as if she read her mind, Yeojin went to hug Kahei. 

“Unnie, thank you for taking care of Haseul. Thank you for loving her.” 

Kahei couldn’t stop herself from crying as she held the younger girl closely. The last thing she wanted was for Yeojin to hate her. The girls shared a quiet moment together before they heard some footsteps. 

They all turned to the source. Haseul’s parents were standing at the entrance of the kitchen. 

Before Haseul could speak, her parents knelt down in front of her. Her mother began to speak, but she was crying at the same time. 

“Please forgive us. We were so wrong. Please Haseul, we love you. We don’t care who you choose to be with as long as you are happy. Yeojin helped us realize that. We were stupid. We are so sorry that we put you through all of this. Kahei, you too, please forgive us. You have been nothing but good to our daughter. We are so sorry.” 

This wasn’t what Haseul was expecting and she quickly got on her knees and made her parents look at her. 

“Please, you don’t need to do this. I don’t want to see you like this. You have hurt me a lot but you don’t need to do this. I need time to heal but I don’t hate you. Kahei has helped me deal. We don’t hold any kind of ill feelings towards you but I will need time. I love you. You are my parents and you’ve raised me well. But please give me some time to take this all in.” 

Haseul helped her parents to their feet and hugged them both. She had so much she wanted to say to them when she walked in but seeing how regretful they were stopped her from lashing out. It was true that she didn’t hate them but they had hurt her deeply and she wasn’t sure she could just return to normal. 

Haseul’s father hesitantly put his hand on her shoulder and said, “Haseul, we understand that we hurt you but please, come back when you are ready. We will welcome you and Kahei with open arms.” 

“Thank you.” 

Things did get better after that. Haseul returned home after two weeks. Being at home was a little awkward at first but things fell into place over time. Haseul later found out that Yeojin was the major force behind their parent’s realization. According to Yeojin she had made them feel really bad. 

“She’s my sister and your daughter!! How can you treat her this way? She’s done nothing wrong. It shouldn’t matter who she loves. Kahei is a good person. You should be ashamed of yourselves. I hate you both!” 

Haseul was proud of her little sister and would always thank her for sticking up for her. But Yeojin didn’t want any thanks. She just wanted her sister to be happy. 

Haseul’s parents had also begun to accept Kahei into their family. Haseul’s mother would often invite her to dinner or give her advice whenever she needed it. Haseul’s father was a little more awkward but he was more welcoming of his daughter’s girlfriend.    
  
A lot had happened over the year and Haseul wasn’t sure if she would have made it if Kahei had not been by her side throughout it all. 

“So babe, I’ve been wondering, what do you want to do on our anniversary? I do have a surprise for you but I’d like to know if there’s anything else.” 

“A surprise?” 

“Yup, but you won’t know until later.” 

Kahei puffed out her cheeks, “Now I’m excited, but I can be patient I guess. Honestly, I can’t think of anything. I just want to spend the day with you.”

Haseul chuckled, “But babe, we do that all the time.” 

“That’s true. Well, let’s just go have a nice dinner somewhere. We don’t have to do so much.” 

Haseul smiled at Kahei’s simplicity, “Ok, babe, that’s fine. We can decide where to go later. Let’s go inside. I think my mother saved us some dinner.” 

“Okay.” 

\----------

“Aren’t you going to go home? We have school tomorrow. Get the fuck out.” 

Yerim snuggled against one of Hyunjin’s plushies and mumbled, “No, I’m too comfortable.” 

Hyunjin plopped down next to her, phone in hand and said, “Well, let your mother know. I don’t want her to worry.” 

“Do it for me? I don’t want to move.” 

Hyunjin rolled her eyes and took Yerim’s phone to send her mother a quick text. 

“Done. At least get up and brush your teeth, nasty.” 

Yerim groaned. She was tired. With Hyunjin being back to lead the team, things got a lot tougher. She didn’t mind but she had gotten used to being a little lazy. She pulled herself up and went to brush her teeth. It was then that she remembered the encounter between Hyunjin and Yoohyeon. She needed to know what was said. She quickly finished in the bathroom and went back to Hyunjin’s room. Hyunjin had already gotten comfortable but she was scrolling through her phone. 

“Unnie?” 

Hyunjin didn’t look up but let out a little “mmh?” 

“What did Yoohyeon say?” 

Hyunjin stopped scrolling and set her phone down. She sighed. 

“Well she told me that there’s a rumor that Sooyoung purposely hurt me so I could be out the rest of the season.” 

Yerim raised a brow, “And you think it’s true?” 

“Why wouldn’t it be?” 

Yerim sat down next to Hyunjin and looked at her earnestly, “Unnie, I don’t know. I know you hate her and I know she’s really cocky and a little annoying but I don’t think she’s that...evil.” 

Hyunjin honestly wasn’t sure either. 

“I don’t know, Yerim. I just know that I still hate her and I’m going to do whatever it takes for us to beat her team. There’s no way I’m letting her get away with this.”

“Hyunjin, don’t you think hate is too strong of a word? You don’t really know her.” 

“I don’t need to know her to come to that conclusion. 

Yerim shrugged and said, “I guess you can hate people without having a good reason.” 

“Excuse you, my reasons are valid.” 

Yerim made herself comfortable under Hyunjin’s covers and said, “Well, just promise me you won’t do anything stupid. I’m going to get to the bottom of this. I don’t trust Yoohyeon.” 

“I promise I won’t do anything stupid. I just want to win the championship.” 

Yerim tugged on Hyunjin’s shirt, “Hey for real, promise me you won’t do anything stupid.” 

Hyunjin’s demeanor softened, “I promise, don’t worry.” 

“Ok, good, now cuddle with me. You have been hanging out with Heejin so much. I feel neglected. I need human contact.” 

Hyunjin said nothing and sunk down into her bed and let Yerim put her arms around her. 

“Don’t be so jealous.” 

“You wish, bitch.” 

Hyunjin grinned and let herself doze off. Tomorrow would be another day to think about these things. 

  
  



	13. Discovery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey gays, thanks for reading! Just wanted to say that I really appreciate the comments you all have left me. They bring a smile to my face! I don't know how many more chapters are left of this fic. I promise it's not going to get super angsty. I really wanted to keep this light hearted and funny. I often like to torture myself by reading angsty 2jin fics but this one isn't going to be like that. I'm just here to have fun!

Yerim was worried. They had a game coming up in two weeks against Sooyoung’s team and while she didn’t think Hyunjin would start anything before then, she was concerned that something would happen during the game. Hyunjin was not confrontational in the least but sometimes she could be very irrational. She often let her feelings get the best of her and while she didn’t think Hyunjin would straight up fight Sooyoung, she felt she would do a lot of shit talking. 

And what if the rumor wasn’t true? Hyunjin would look like a complete idiot and might lose the respect of her own team and others. Yerim couldn’t let that happen. There was no way she was going to let that happen. The friendship she had with Hyunjin was so strong and Yerim would always have her back no matter what. Even if Hyunjin was being irrational, Yerim would still stick by her and at least try to get her to think straight. 

So with that thought in mind, Yerim contacted someone she knew could help her figure out the situation. Yerim scrolled through her contacts and looked thoughtfully at one name in particular. 

Gahyeon.    
  
Yerim had tutored her last year for a couple of classes she wasn’t doing too well on. They had formed a friendship but things got a little awkward when Gahyeon developed a crush on her. They didn’t stop talking but Yerim had put some distance between them. It wasn’t so much that Yerim didn’t like her too, she just felt like she wasn’t ready for any kind of relationship. She was too focused on school and soccer. Yerim also had some difficulty with math so she always studied extra hard for the subject. And well, Yerim and Hyunjin were always together. Yerim didn’t feel the need for an actual relationship. 

It was probably a bit messed up of her to contact Gahyeon for a favor but Hyunjin’s reputation hung on the line so Yerim was going to deal with the awkwardness. It probably wouldn’t be so bad anyway. She sent Gahyeon a message that went straight to the point. 

“Hey Gahyeon, I need some info. Can we meet up during lunch later?” 

Gahyeon answered almost instantly which meant she wasn’t paying attention in class. Yerim grinned. No wonder she was always doing badly in her courses. 

“Sure! At our secret spot?” 

“Yeah, I’ll see you later then.” 

“<3”    
  
Yerim put her phone away and went back to paying attention to her class. She was pretty good at being discreet and getting back on track.    
  
The rest of the morning passed by quickly and soon it was already lunchtime. Yerim headed to the cafeteria and spotted Hyunjin already sitting and eating. Yerim smiled. As much shit as they gave each other, Yerim really loved her best friend. She approached the table and gave Hyunjin a quick kiss on the cheek. Hyunjin jumped but calmed herself down when she saw it was just Yerim.    
  
“Geez Yerim, you scared me.”

Yerim put her hands on her hips and pouted, “How come? I mean who else could it be? The only other person who gives you kisses on the cheek at lunch is Kahei.” 

Hyunjin shrugged, “I don’t know, you haven’t been doing it lately is all.”

“Well, I don’t want Heejin to be jealous. What if she wants to fight me? I’m sure you would like that too, Hyunjin. Two girls fighting over you.” 

Hyunjin rolled her eyes and pulled the chair out next to her. 

“Yerim, shut up and sit down already.” 

Yerim shook her head, “Not today. I have to go meet with someone.” 

Hyunjin tilted her head in confusion, “With who? You are going to leave me here alone with Kahei and Haseul? They are in ultra lovey dovey mode, I can’t take it.” 

Yerim giggled. She knew what Hyunjin was talking about. Their two older friends had been acting extra gross the past couple of days. Yerim patted Hyunjin’s shoulder, “Sorry unnie, I need to go do this.” 

“But who is it?” 

“Gahyeon.” 

“Oh.” 

Hyunjin smirked and wiggled her eyebrows. Now it was her turn to be annoying. 

“What are you gonna do? Gonna hold hands? Gonna make out?” 

Yerim was unfazed. She wasn’t going to give Hyunjin the satisfaction of making her feel weird. 

“No, she asked for some help with some homework is all.” Yerim wasn’t going to tell her the actual reason. 

Hyunjin pouted, “Awww, that’s no fun. Thought you were gonna get down and dirty.” 

It was Yerim’s turn to roll her eyes, “Really unnie? At school?” 

Hyunjin chuckled, “Right right, you are too focused on your studies. Whateverrr, go, leave me then. But can we talk about something later?” 

Yerim was only slightly concerned, “Sure, is everything ok?” 

Hyunjin gave her a thumbs up, “Yes, I just need some advice. Let’s walk home together?” 

“No Heejin?” 

“No, she has some stuff to do at home so a friend is going to pick her up.”

“Alright, then I’ll see you after school.” 

They waved at each other and Yerim left to go outside to a quiet spot that she and Gahyeon used to meet up at. As she made her way over she saw that Gahyeon was already sitting there and eating a sandwich. Yerim thought she looked really cute but she was going to keep her comments to herself. Yerim hated to admit it but Gahyeon did tend to spark something within her.    
  
Gahyeon looked up and saw that Yerim was close. She smiled brightly and waved her over. 

“Yerim!!” 

Yerim couldn’t help but smile back at her. Gahyeon excitedly patted the spot next to her and Yerim sat down. Gahyeon put her arms around Yerim who awkwardly hugged her back. Gahyeon was very happy to see her. 

“How are you, Yerim? We haven’t talked in a while.” 

Yerim felt bad but she had her reasons. 

“Yeah, sorry Gahyeon. I’ve been really busy. You know Hyunjin got injured so I had to help lead practices and all. She’s better now so I get a bit of a break sort of.” 

“Yes, I’ve heard about that. I’m glad she’s better. I know she must be so excited that the team is in the final four. There’s so much buzz around the school about it.” 

Gahyeon clapped her hands together excitedly. She had always looked up to the soccer team and having one tutor her the previous year was a dream come true. 

Yerim rubbed the back of her head nervously, “Well, about that. I’m hoping you can help me.” 

Gahyeon pointed a finger at herself in surprise, “Me? How so?” 

“Well, you are friends with Yoohyeon from HFE high school right?” 

Gahyeon nodded her head. She wasn’t sure what Yerim was about to ask her.   
  
“I need you to find something out for me.” 

Yerim proceeded to tell Gahyeon about the rumor and how uncomfortable it was when Yoohyeon and Yoobin had gone to “visit” Hyunjin. Yerim needed to know if it was true or not to avoid the situation from escalating and hopefully it would knock some sense in Hyunjin. 

Gahyeon listened thoughtfully and let Yerim explain the whole situation.   


“So, I don’t believe it’s true. I don’t know Sooyoung but I just can’t picture her doing something like that. She just seems a bit cocky but overall harmless. I really don’t want there to be some sort of drama between her and Hyunjin. I keep imagining the worst and it’s really worrying me. Could you help me out?” 

Gahyeon took a moment to gather her thoughts and sighed, “Yoohyeon is a close friend of mine. I know her pretty well and I’ve always helped her with a lot of stuff even though we aren’t in the same school…..”

Yerim braced herself. Maybe this had been a bad idea. If Gahyeon didn’t help her, then maybe she would even tip off Yoohyeon about Yerim’s investigation. 

“However, I’ll find out whatever you need me to. I know for a fact that Yoohyeon has been in love with the team captain since forever. I wouldn’t put it past her to make up something. Poor girl is probably desperate for the captain’s attention. But I can’t let her ruin something that you, Hyunjin and your team have worked so hard for all year. I’ll help you out.” 

Yerim let out a sigh of relief and grabbed Gahyeon’s hands to thank her. 

“Thanks so much. This means a lot to me. How can I repay you?” 

Gahyeon changed the positions of their hands so that hers were on top and said, “Let’s go out this summer coming up. Yerim, I still really like you and I think you like me too.” 

Yerim blushed but didn’t pull away. 

“Well..I...umm..”

Gahyeon grinned and said, “It’s ok. You don’t have to give me an answer right now. I’ll see what info I can get for you soon. Yoohyeon spills easily so it shouldn’t be too hard. The actual hard part is getting a hold of her but I’ll work on it. Don’t worry.” 

Yerim quietly thanked her again and added, “Sorry I can’t give you an answer right now.” 

Gahyeon gave her hand a quick squeeze, “It’s ok. I’ll wait however long I need to. Now hurry up and eat. We spent so much time talking and you’ve barely had lunch.” 

Yerim looked at the time and realized they had less than ten minutes left. 

“Ah shit, you’re right!!” 

\-----   
  
Hyunjin sighed against her desk. Ever since she found out about the possibility of Sooyoung sabotaging her, she had been a mess. Inwardly of course. She didn’t want anyone to worry about her. She would feel moments of anger and then just sadness. She wasn’t sure why she was sad. The whole thing just made her feel bad. She had never liked Sooyoung but she didn’t think it warranted the other girl wanting to hurt her. 

But mostly she felt a bit sad because Yerim couldn’t believe that Sooyoung could do such a thing. Yerim was supposed to be on her side. Or at least, that was what Hyunjin thought was right. It wasn’t however and she knew that. There were too many thoughts in her head. There was a lot of back and forth. What if Yoohyeon was just lying to start some drama? 

Was her hate towards Sooyoung really warranted? 

Hyunjin sighed again. Of course it was. Sooyoung was lazy, cocky and a total player. At least that’s the kind of stuff she had seen and heard about the other girl. Hyunjin felt her feelings towards her were justified. 

“Kim Hyunjin, are you paying attention to my lecture or do I need to keep you here after school?” 

Hyunjin sat up straight and shook her head. The teacher was staring into her soul. 

“I’m paying attention.”    
“That’s what I thought.”    
  
The teacher turned around and continue writing notes on the blackboard. 

There were a few giggles from the other students and Hyunjin relaxed somewhat. She really needed to talk to Yerim and there was no way she was going to get in trouble at the end of the day. 

Hyunjin went back to writing her notes and soon enough the bell rang. She gathered her things and gave the teacher a deep bow as an apology before she left the classroom. She headed to her locker and grabbed a few books that she needed. She felt two hands cover her eyes and she laughed. 

“Yerim damn it, stop trying to sneak up on me.” 

Yerim giggled, “How’d you know it was me?” 

“I recognize your perfume.” 

Yerim put her hand up to her mouth and gasped, feigning shock, “Unnie you know me so well. It’s almost romantic, don’t you think? You recognize my perfume.” 

“Bitch, because I bought that for you.”  

Yerim stuck her tongue out cutely, “Right. Well hurry up! I’m hungry. Buy me a pizza.” 

Hyunjin scrunched up her eyebrows, “Hungry? What happened? Did your little lunch date get so hot and heavy that you didn’t eat?” 

“Don’t use my teasing tactics against me. We just talked is all.” 

“You learned those from me, Yerim. Don’t ever forget that. I’ll get you your pizza but let’s order from here and have it delivered. I don’t feel like carrying extra stuff.” 

Yerim cheered and Hyunjin couldn’t help the little smile forming on her lips. She ruffled Yerim’s hair and reached for her hand, “Let’s go.” 

The girls left the school, walking hand in hand like usual. The dynamic had changed somewhat since Heejin was around more often. Whenever they walked home as a group it was always Kahei and Haseul in the front and the three younger girls in the back. Hyunjin and Yerim always walked on either side of Heejin and they had made a joke that they were all Heejin’s bodyguards. 

Yerim didn’t mind. Hyunjin always seemed so bright and happy whenever Heejin was around. She almost seemed to come out of her shell somewhat. Yerim was the only person who knew all the different sides of Hyunjin so it made her so happy to see her opening up like that to someone who might potentially become her girlfriend. At least that’s what she hoped for.   
  
But at the end of the day, Hyunjin was still her friend soulmate and Yerim cherished all the moments alone they had together.   
  
“Unnie, come on, you’ve been petting the cat for five minutes. Watch the pizza guy be at the door already because you can’t stop being a cat lady.” 

Hyunjin groaned, “But this cat is new, I want it to feel comfortable with me.” 

Yerim sighed. Hyunjin was a big old softie when it came to her cats. 

“We can come back later and see if it’s still around and you can play with it as long as you want. But we really need to go.” 

Hyunjin pouted but realized that Yerim was right. As they reached Hyunjin’s house they saw the pizza delivery car pulling up to the driveway. The girls ran to the front door and met up with the delivery girl. Hyunjin handed her an extra tip and they went inside. Yerim was almost drooling. She was really hungry. 

“Change your clothes and I’ll set up the pizza so you can eat, is that ok Yerim?” 

“Ok, thank you unnie.” 

Hyunjin’s home had always been Yerim’s second home. She would show up whenever and she was always welcome. Hyunjin visited her home too but they just had more fun in Hyunjin’s room.    
  
Yerim quickly changed and returned to the dining room. Hyunjin had already set the table and was bringing out Yerim’s favorite juice.

“You want some ice with it?” 

“Yes please.” 

“You got it.” 

Yerim sat down and Hyunjin served her the drink. 

“Thank you, unnie.” 

Hyunjin winked at her, “Anytime, now eat up.” 

It was rare that Hyunjin actually acted like the older one. Haseul and especially Kahei always babied her and Yerim often acted like the more mature one of the two friends. But Yerim was ok with that. 

“This pizza is pretty good. Glad you brought it up.” Hyunjin munched on a slice and did a little dance. Yerim laughed and remembered that Hyunjin wanted to talk.    
  
“What was it that you wanted to talk about, unnie?” 

Hyunjin swallowed a rather large piece of pizza, almost choking in the process but she was fine. 

“Right! So….I’m thinking of finally asking Heejin to be my girlfriend.” 

It was Yerim’s turn to almost choke, “REally?? Woah? When? How? Omg Hyunjin.” 

Hyunjin’s head started to spin. That was too many questions. 

“OK, hold on a sec. That’s what I need help with. I kind of have something in mind. I want to ask her this Friday. We have a game in two weeks against Sooyoung and well, I’d just love it if Heejin was there to cheer for me as my girlfriend. I think I could forget whatever beef I have with Sooyoung if Heejin is there.” 

Yerim squealed, “Hyunjin that’s so gross, I love it. How are you going to ask her? OMg please tell me it’s gonna be through minecraft or omg, better yet, dress up like Naruto and ask her out.” 

Hyunjin could feel herself burning up and it actually hurt.  

“Yerim, stop please. I’m serious about this. I’m not gonna dress up like damn Naruto even if she likes it.” 

Yerim thought of something really bad and couldn’t help but say it out loud, “Hyunjin what if she wants to get down and dirty while you are wearing a Naruto cosplay?”    
  
Hyunjin covered her face and yelled, “YERIM! PLEASE.” 

“Ok ok, I’m sorry. I’m just...I’m so excited. My unnie wants to ask her crush out, I can’t believe it. Honestly, I thought it would be Heejin to ask since you’re never confident with these kinds of things.” 

Hyunjin sighed. Yerim wasn’t wrong but it still hurt to hear. 

“I know but I like her a lot and I need to stop being a coward. If she rejects me then...well...I guess life goes on.” 

“She won’t. Trust me. She likes you too. You just gotta ask is all.” 

Hyunjin took another bite of her pizza. Yerim was a pain in the ass but she did give good advice. 

“Right, well, how are you gonna ask her then?” Yerim was excited to know. 

Hyunjin wiped her hands and went to grab her sketchbook from her bag. She pulled out the mysterious sheet that stuck out slightly from the book. 

“I want to give her this. I wrote a note in the back as well. I’m hoping to catch her off guard and then I’ll confess using actual words. What do you think?” 

Hyunjin held out a sheet of paper. Yerim wiped her own pizza hands and reached out to look at it. It was something that Hyunjin had drawn. It was a picture of Heejin and it was actually spot on. Yerim was amazed. 

“Woah, Hyunjin, you drew this?” 

Hyunjin nodded her head proudly, “Yeah, I’ve been working on it for a while. At first it was just a little sketch because obviously I think about her a lot and I also daydream in class. But then I started getting more serious and I wanted to make it really nice. I tried to incorporate all the stuff she’s taught me. Read the note and tell me what you think, please. I don’t want it to be too cheesy.”    
  
Yerim read through the note in the back and although it wasn’t directed at her, she felt her heart skip a beat. 

“Damn Hyunjin, I didn’t know you could be this….sweet?” 

Hyunjin took some offense to that, “What’s that supposed to mean? I’m plenty sweet to you!” 

“Yes but this is on a whole different level. If she rejects you, date me instead. I’m almost falling in love with you from this note alone.”    
  
Hyunjin gave her a downtrodden look, “Don’t say that…” 

Yerim didn’t mean it in a mean way and she quickly tried to fix what she said, “I’m just kidding, unnie. She will say yes, I promise. This is really such a sweet gesture.” 

Hyunjin’s demeanor lightened up and she was beaming with pride. 

“So it’s ok? Everything? It’s not too over the top?” 

“Not at all. She’s definitely going to say yes.” 

Hyunjin let out a sigh of relief. She couldn’t wait until Friday. 

\----------   
  
Friday rolled around a lot faster than Hyunjin had thought and she was nervous. She almost felt sick to her stomach. 

“Here, eat some bread. Calm down. It’s going to be ok.” 

Yerim handed Hyunjin some chocolate bread she had bought on their way to school. Hyunjin took a bite but couldn’t eat any more. Yerim was shocked. 

“Woah, Hyunjin. You didn’t finish it. You are really a mess right now.” 

Hyunjin wiped the sweat off her forehead and took a deep breath. Of course she was nervous. She had never done something like this before. She had crushes before but never acted on them. 

“Yerim, I’m gonna throw up, I swear.” 

Yerim placed her hands on Hyunjin’s shoulders to brace her, “Hyun, relax. It will be ok. It’s only Heejin. She’s been nothing but sweet and kind to you. I’m telling you that nothing bad is going to happen. She’s going to say yes, I promise you.” 

“But what if she doesn’t like the drawing. I mean have you seen how well she can paint and draw. I just did a little dumb sketch. Oh man, I shouldn’t even give it to her. She’s gonna laugh at it.” 

Yerim rolled her eyes. Hyunjin was just being ridiculous now. Yerim placed her forehead against Hyunjin’s and said in a gentle voice, “Hyunjin. It’s going to be ok. I’m telling you it’s going to be fine. You can do it. You like her so much and she knows it. Don’t be afraid.” 

Hyunjin’s nerves seemed to settle a bit after hearing Yerim say those words

“Ok, I can do it. Right? I can do it. It’s gonna be ok. She will say yes and she will like my present.” 

Yerim cupped Hyunjin’s cheeks and stroked them gently, “There you go. Now go in there and get that girl.” 

“Thanks, Yerim.” 

Hyunjin opened the door to the art room and slipped inside. Yerim stood at the entrance and wished her friend good luck. As she walked down the hallway she saw Heejin approaching. Heejin happily waved at her. 

“Hi Yerim!” 

“Sup Heejin, heading to the art room?” 

“Yes, is Hyunjin already in there?”

“Yeah, she just got there. She’s excited for today.” 

Yerim grinned and Heejin wondered why. 

“Excited? I don’t think there’s anything special today.”

“Well...you’ll see. I’ll see you around. Have fun.” 

“No practice today?” 

Yerim shook her head, “Nah, Hyunjin wants us to rest because she’s going to kick our asses next week. I’m heading over to her house. Her mom is off and needs help baking some pies so I volunteered.” 

“Oh, ok. Well have fun! Do you mind if I steal Hyunjin today? I’d like to invite her over to my house.”

Yerim raised a brow, “I don’t mind. Not at all, just have her come back home in one piece. I won’t help her if you leave her walking funny.” 

Heejin blushed, “No...I…”

Yerim broke out into laughter, “I’m just joking, Heejin. Have fun. See you around!” 

Yerim poked Heejin’s shoulder and wandered off. 

Heejin stood in place, watching Yerim walk away. She felt herself blushing hard. 

“Ugh, damn it Yerim. Always saying those kinds of things. I have to get her back one day.” 

Heejin composed herself and walked into the art room. Hyunjin was sitting in her usual spot and looking at a piece of paper. 

“Hey Hyunjin. Sorry for making you wait.” 

Hyunjin quickly put the paper in her sketchook and looked up at Heejin. 

“Hey, it’s ok. I didn’t wait very long.” 

They exchanged smiles and Heejin took her seat next to Hyunjin. 

“How’s your final piece coming along? The pictures you sent me yesterday were very nice.” 

Hyunjin pulled out her special folder which held a large piece of paper that was her final assignment. She had decided to draw a little area near her home that was the home of a few cats. Of course the cats were in the picture as well. Hyunjin often liked to go there for some peace and quiet. It was a small little area that not too many people knew of. In fact, the only other person she had ever seen there was a neighbor who also liked to feed the cats of their neighborhood. She was a very nice woman as far as Hyunjin could tell. 

“Oh this is a lot nicer in person! The details on the cats were done very well. And the colors blend well. I think you are going to do really well Hyunjin. Miss Lee was telling me that she’s very proud of how far you’ve come along.” 

Hyunjin felt relieved. She was no longer in danger of failing the course. She just needed to hand in this last assignment, take a test and she would be in the clear. 

“I’m happy. I couldn’t have done it without you Heejin.” 

“Oh, I only helped a little. You did a lot on your own. I think you have one last text next week sometime? We should go over some stuff for it but I think you probably know everything already.” 

“Ok….um Heejin?”

“Hmm?” 

Hyunjin twiddled her fingers and smiled, “I’d like to talk to you about something after we finish this tutoring session.” 

Heejin looked at Hyunjin, interested in what she had to say, “About what?” 

Hyunjin blushed, “I don’t want to say now. At the end. Yeah?” 

Heejin pouted but respected Hyunjin’s request, “Alright. Well, let’s go over some stuff then.” 

Hyunjin was no longer nervous. She just started feeling really excited. Yerim’s little pep talk had lifted her confidence level. But she knew if she asked Heejin right now then they probably wouldn’t get any studying done. 

The hour passed quickly and soon it was time to leave. Heejin began to gather her things but Hyunjin stalled a little. She wanted to keep her sketchbook out. 

“I’d like to talk to you now, Heejin.” 

Heejin smiled. She wasn’t sure what was going on but she was ready to listen. However, she needed to ask Hyunjin about going over to her house first. 

“Wait, Hyunjin. I’d like to ask you something first before we talk.” 

Hyunjin gulped. Her confidence was at max level at the moment and she wanted to take advantage, but still, she would let Heejin talk first. 

“What’s up?” 

Heejin shyly grinned, “Well, do you want to come over to my place? I asked a friend to give me a ride home today. I’d like to bring home some canvases to work on.”

Hyunjin was a little surprised. She had never been to Heejin’s home. She wasn’t going to say no. 

“Oh. Yeah! Sure, I’d love to. I hope your friend doesn’t mind giving me a ride.” 

Heejin shook her head, “Oh no not at all! In fact, I kind of owe her. She’s been wanting to talk to you for a while now. She wanted to apologize for hurting you during the soccer game. I just never got around to setting up a meeting because I wanted to enjoy our time together.” 

Hyunjin narrowed her eyes. She didn’t understand.

“Huh? Hurting me?” 

Heejin looked at her like it was the most obvious thing in the world, “Yeah, I’m talking about Sooyoung! I’ve never told you she’s my friend?” 

Hyunjin froze and felt the color drain from her face. She blurted out a few words, “You are friends with Ha Sooyoung?”    
  
“Yeah? I really never told you?”

“N-no…” 

“That’s weird. Well, anyway, she’ll pick us up in a bit so we can talk now.” 

Hyunjin shook her head and stood up quickly, almost knocking over her chair. 

“No, never mind. I gotta go Heejin. I can’t go with you.” 

“Huh? What do you mean?” 

Heejin reached out to touch Hyunjin’s shoulder but Hyunjin pulled away. Heejin brought her hand back, almost feeling like it had been slapped. 

“Hyunjin? What’s wrong? I don’t understand.” 

Hyunjin threw her bookbag on and started heading towards the door. Heejin followed behind, trying to stop her. 

“Hyunjin, please tell me what’s wrong. I’m really confused!” 

Hyunjin turned to her and mumbled, “I’m sorry Heejin. I can’t.” 

Heejin tried to speak again but Hyunjin turned around and left the room. Heejin was dumbfounded. What had just happened? She really didn’t get it. 

She went back to the table and saw that Hyunjin had left her sketchbook. She grabbed it and ran out of the door in hopes of catching up with her but Hyunjin was nowhere in sight. 

Heejin knew there was no way she would catch up to her. Heejin felt her phone buzz and rapidly unlocked it hoping that maybe Hyunjin had sent her something to explain. But it wasn’t her. It was Sooyoung asking if they were ready. Heejin sighed and held Hyunjin’s sketchbook against her chest. 

Hyunjin on the other hand was running for her life. She couldn’t even properly process what had just happened. It just happened so quickly and she reacted in the worst possible way. 

Heejin and Sooyoung were friends. They had been friends this whole time. Hyunjin felt hurt. But she also thought it was stupid to feel bad about it. It’s not like she had any control of who Heejin could be friends with. But with Sooyoung of all people? 

Hyunjing kept running until she felt her legs burning. She stopped and placed her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. Even if she felt a little betrayed, which was a stupid feeling in the first place, she felt even worse thinking about how she had just left Heejin like that. She didn’t even give her an explanation. She felt like a coward. She couldn’t help but feel like she had really ruined everything. 

“Unnie? What are you doing here? Why aren’t you with Heejin?” 

Hyunjin looked up and saw Yerim standing there, looking worried. 

“I fucked up, Yerim. I fucked up badly.” 


	14. What are friends for?

“Hyunjin, what happened?”    
  
Yerim sat next to Hyunjin, who was face down on her bed and had her head buried in her pillow. She was stroking her back and trying to console her. It was obvious that something had gone wrong. 

“I messed up.” 

“Ok, how? What did you do?” 

Hyunjin groaned loudly. She felt embarrassed. She was realizing that maybe she had reacted very poorly. Yerim was starting to get impatient.

“Hyunjin, if you don’t tell me right now I’m going to call Heejin.” 

Hyunjin sat up, almost making Yerim fall off the bed in the process. 

“Sorry, sorry. Ok well….I was going to ask her. I was confident and just wanted to say it but she stopped me. She invited me over to her home...and then told me a friend was going to pick us up….” 

Hyunjin paused. Yerim stared at her, “And?” 

“Her friend is Sooyoung.” 

Yerim’s jaw dropped and she brought her hand up to her forehead in disbelief. 

“Ah shit, Hyunjin…and what was your excuse for leaving? Oh man, I’m so sorry. I can’t even imagine how you must have felt. Heejin too.” 

Hyunjin didn’t even feel bad for herself. She felt bad that she had left Heejin like that without a real explanation. 

“I know….fuck, I messed up so badly. I didn’t give her any explanation. I just told her I couldn’t stay and walked out. She kept asking me why and I just ignored her. She must think I’m nuts. Yerim, I’m such an asshole. What am I going to do?” 

Yerim placed her hand on her friend’s shoulder. 

“We will figure something out. But Hyunjin, you really owe Heejin an explanation. She’s done nothing wrong. I know it was an incredibly uncomfortable situation but you can’t leave her hanging like that. I mean...you were about to ask her to be your girlfriend. I know you care about her deeply.” 

Hyunjin’s eyes started to water a little. Yerim took note and hugged her friend. It was very rare to see Hyunjin cry. In fact, Yerim could count the times on her hand. 

“Hey...shhh shh, it’s ok.” 

Yerim wiped away the tears that had spilled over and kissed Hyunjin’s forehead. She hated to see her like this. It was a really dumb situation but she knew how stubborn Hyunjin could be. 

“Why don’t you try to take a nap? I’m still helping your mom with the pies and then when you wake up you can have a piece. I’ll let her know what’s going on. Is that ok?” 

Hyunjin nodded her head and laid down in bed. Yerim brushed away some hair from Hyunjin’s cheek. 

“Get some rest. I love you, ok?” 

Hyunjin’s lips formed a small smile, “I love you too. Thanks.” 

Hyunjin closed her eyes and all the stress and exhaustion from the day knocked her out almost instantly. Yerim watched her for a few moments before getting up. As she began to walk away, she heard Hyunjin’s phone go off. She picked it up and looked at the message. It was from Heejin. 

_ Heejin: “Hey Hyunjin, I hope you are ok. Please tell me what’s going on. You just left and I feel like I did something wrong. I know you wanted to talk about something. Please, call me or text me or...idk...something.” _   
  
Yerim sighed. She was tempted to call Heejin and explain the situation but she didn’t feel like it was her place. And maybe this was a good lesson for Hyunjin too. For now she could only support her best friend and pray that Gahyeon would get her the info before things got worse.    
  
Yerim took one last look at Hyunjin and shook her head. 

“Ah unnie, why are you like this?” 

\------   
  
“Where’s Hyunjin?” 

Sooyoung and Jiwoo were in the art room helping Heejin gather the canvases she was taking home. Heejin shrugged and sadly looked down at the ground.

“She left suddenly...I’m not sure.”    
  
Sooyoung raised a brow. “She just left? That sucks, I wanted to talk to her.” 

“Yeah...she left after I mentioned you were coming to pick me up. Maybe she suddenly remembered something and had to leave….at least I hope so….I feel like I did something wrong maybe.” 

Jiwoo giggled, ”Sounds like Hyunjin didn’t want to meet Sooyoungie here. Maybe she doesn’t like you.”  

Sooyoung was quick to respond, “Why wouldn’t she like me? I didn’t do anything to her.” 

Jiwoo puffed out her cheeks, “Well...you almost broke her arm…” 

Sooyoung put her hands up in protest, “I didn’t do that on purpose! It was an honest mistake.” 

Jiwoo giggled again. It was cute to see Sooyoung getting a little upset. 

“Yes honey, I know that. But she doesn’t know that. She’s obviously very into soccer and it probably pissed her off that she got hurt and couldn’t play for a little while.” 

Sooyoung narrowed her eyes at her girlfriend, “How do you know all of this?” 

Jiwoo pointed at Heejin, “Heekie never shuts up about her. Hyunjin this, Hyunjin that. Did you know Hyunjin has a really cute laugh? Did you know that Hyunjin has really strong legs? I think...I’m in love with Hyunjin.” 

Heejin turned an almost deadly shade of red, “Unnie….shut up….” 

Jiwoo laughed, “Sorry Heekie, it’s just really cute.” 

Sooyoung cleared her throat, “Well, anyway, still doesn’t answer the question of why she just left. There’s no way she doesn’t like me. I haven’t done anything to her and I’m kind of cute. Nobody is gonna dislike me.” 

Jiwoo rolled her eyes, “I can think of a few reasons….” 

Sooyoung glared at her, “Listen, stop being mad about me not winning that penguin plush for you. You and the lovey dovey brats forced me to go to that loud ass arcade.” 

“We needed ten more tickets and you couldn’t play one more game with me!??” 

Heejin stood near her desk awkwardly. She knew her friends really weren’t fighting but things like this usually ended up with them making out and she really didn’t want to see that. 

“Um...girls, can we just….go? I kind of want to go home and see if I can get a hold of Hyunjin.”    
  
Sooyoung and Jiwoo stopped their “arguing” and felt a little bad. Heejin was definitely hurting even if she didn’t outwardly show it. 

“Sorry Heekie, you are probably sad right now and we aren’t helping. Sooyoungie let’s get all these canvases in the car and take her home.” 

Sooyoung did as she was told but not before saying some words of encouragement to Heejin, “We’ll figure this out. If anything, I’ll try to get a hold of her so we can talk. This is probably all just a misunderstanding.” 

Heejin said nothing. She didn’t really know what to think but she didn’t feel like Sooyoung talking to Hyunjin would help at all. 

The girls finished loading up the car and were soon on their way to Heejin’s home. Heejin looked at her phone and decided to write something to Hyunjin. There was no response. Not that she expected one so soon anyway. She thought about sending a message to Yerim, knowing that Hyunjin was probably with her but she decided not to. 

“Heejin, you ok?” Sooyoung peeked at her through the rear view mirror. 

“...Yeah..” 

Sooyoung and Jiwoo exchanged looks. Jiwoo turned back to Heejin, “We’ll figure out a way to fix this. It’s really Sooyoung’s fault.” 

Sooyoung rolled her eyes but didn’t fight back. She didn’t feel like she did anything wrong but she also didn’t want to make Heejin feel worse than she already did. 

Heejin didn’t say anything and the girls rode in silence until they reached Heejin’s home. They began to unload the canvases and helped Heejin bring them all inside. Once they made sure everything was unloaded they made sure Heejin would be ok. Jiwoo hugged the younger girl tightly. 

“Ah Heekie, don’t be so down! Maybe give her some time. She might have been bothered or felt uncomfortable with something we aren’t sure of yet. Although my womanly intuition tells me it’s Sooyoung.” 

Sooyoung sighed heavily, “Kim Jiwoo, if you don’t lay off I’m going to get really angry.” 

Jiwoo glared at her, “OH? So first you don’t win me the plush and then you want to get angry at me?"

Sooyoung placed her hand over Jiwoo's mouth to shut her up and began dragging her to the door. Jiwoo began to thrash around but Sooyoung wouldn't let go.

"Heejin, I'm sorry we can't stay. I know you are feeling down but I promised my mother we'd go have dinner with her."

Heejin was a little surprised, "You are good with your mom?"

Sooyoung smiled, "Yeah, we talked for a long while and she met Jiwoo. She isn't with Dad anymore. I've been helping her settle into her new apartment. We are doing better." 

At least Heejin got some good news that day.

"Oh Sooyoung, I'm so happy for you! I'm glad it worked out in the end."

Sooyoung smiled brightly and removed her hand from Jiwoo’s mouth, “It’s thanks to this one right here. She gave me a stern talking to.” 

Jiwoo pouted but couldn’t stop a shy smile from forming, “Well...Jinsoul and Jungeun helped too…” 

Sooyoung booped Jiwoo’s nose and gave her a quick kiss, “Yes but I only listened to you.” 

The two girls stared lovingly at each other until Heejin cleared her throat. They were definitely a somewhat weird couple. They’d fight until the end but then things would clear up quickly. It was really different from Haseul and Kahei who always seemed to be level headed and on the same page.  They were definitely more mature than the two girls before her. 

It got Heejin wondering how she and Hyunjin would act together if they were a couple. Hyunjin loved to make jokes and she fooled around A LOT. But she was also so sweet and supportive. Heejin always felt a sense of safety and pure joy when she was with Hyunjin. Hyunjin was always so quick to protect her and Heejin felt like she kept Hyunjin grounded. Hyunjin was definitely a little shy and a bit to herself when there were strangers involved and Heejin liked to think that she had brought Hyunjin out of her shell somewhat. 

Hyunjin had always wanted to visit a cat cafe but her shyness prevented her from doing it. Heejin insisted that they go even though she had allergies for a few days after. But it had made Hyunjin so happy that Heejin had no regrets.    
  
Heejin hoped that whatever was happening with Hyunjin would pass quickly because she couldn’t bear the thought of not having her around. 

“Sorry Heekie, we’ll get going now. Call me later and let me know if you got in contact with Hyunjin.” Jiwoo hugged her friend one last time and Sooyoung patted her shoulder. 

She waved at the girls as they left and closed the door behind them. She thought about calling Hyejoo and Chaewon over but the two girls had been in ultra lovey dovey mode and it was only going to make Heejin sad. 

Heejin went into her room and decided to work on the gift she had thought about making for Hyunjin. It was something really silly but she thought Hyunjin would love it. 

Heejin had always wanted to go to a game and cheer for Hyunjin but felt like her groupies would be pissed. But….since Hyunjin had told them off, Heejin thought maybe she could finally go to a game without fear of harassment. Heejin had been looking up many tutorials for the project she had in mind. She had gotten many of the materials already but was still drafting up the final design. 

She wanted to make a cat mascot head and she was going to wear it during Hyunjin’s game against Sooyoung. Of course it meant betraying Sooyoung but she never did care for that team anyway. Only Hyunjin. She only cared about Hyunjin. She was in love with Hyunjin. 

Heejin sighed and looked at her phone again. Nothing. Maybe she was better off waiting and giving Hyunjin space. 

Heejin thought hard about what was going on and tried to put herself in Hyunjin’s shoes. She thought about being friends with somebody and then finding out they were friends with someone she didn’t like. Whether she had a valid reason or not, it did still feel a little shitty. A little petty too but it did feel a little shitty. And Heejin knew for a fact how Hyunjin hated confrontation so leaving the scene was probably her best option.    
  
She was honestly surprised when Hyunjin had told off her groupies. Hyunjin rarely showed any anger and truth be told, Heejin had found it very attractive. 

Heejin shook her head to rid herself of any bad thoughts. 

“I need to be working on this present.” 

She opened up her bookbag and pulled out her sketchbook. It was then she realized she still had Hyunjin’s sketchbook. Curiosity got the better of her and she began to look at the new pages that Hyunjin had worked on. There were a few sketches of flowers and of course some more cats. It looked like there was a new cat in the neighborhood. There was a sketch of Yerim and her plastic cockroach. Heejin giggled and continued flipping through the pages. There was a pic of both Haseul and Kahei sitting together at the lunch table and a picture of Hyejoo and Chaewon playing at the arcade. Heejin wondered if there were any pictures of her but found none. It made her a little sad but she continued to flip through when she noticed one sheet sticking out. 

Could it be the one that Hyunjin had hid from her? 

Heejin desperately wanted to look at it but felt that she was already invading Hyunjin’s privacy by even looking through her sketchbook without her permission. She placed her fingers on the corner of the sheet and lingered there for a while. In the end, however, she decided to leave it alone. It wasn’t her place to look at it. 

Heejin put the sketchbook back in her bag and resumed her work on the cat mascot head. 

\------

“Oh my little aeongie, I’m so sorry that happened to you my baby.” 

Hyunjin’s mother was hugging the life out of her as she struggled to breathe. 

“Mom...please….I can’t breathe.” 

Hyunjin’s mother let her go and patted her head, “You know, I get being upset about what happened but you can’t ignore Heejin. It isn’t her fault.” 

Hyunjin sniffled and took a bit bite out of her piece of pie. She just wanted to eat and then lay down again. She had seen the message from Heejin and she felt like shit. 

“I know, mom. I’m stupid. You don’t need to remind me.” 

Hyunjin’s mom agreed, “You are a little bit. But that’s definitely from your father’s side. Not mine. Yerim honey, do you want another slice? I have ice cream here for you too.” 

Hyunjin glared at her mother while Yerim just chuckled. She didn’t want to say anything negative. Hyunjin was in enough pain. 

“Yes, please. I’d love another slice. Haseul, Kahei and Yeojin are coming over in a bit. Let’s get the table ready for them.”    
  
The two girls got up to set the table while Hyunjin’s mom began getting out the different toppings. Yerim hoped that having the company of the other girls would help Hyunjin cheer up a little. 

Soon enough the doorbell rang and the three girls entered the home. Hyunjin’s mother was happy to see them. 

“How are my girls doing?” 

She chatted with the girls for a bit, catching up with them and seeing how they were doing with their studies. After she made sure they were all doing well she decided to retire for the evening. 

“I’m glad you girls are doing well. You are like my children as well. I’m going to call it a night now. Yerim honey, thank you for helping me out. You girls enjoy but don’t touch the pies in the fridge. They are for my coworkers. But help yourself to all the ice cream you want!” 

Hyunjin’s mother went into her room and the girls were left alone at the table. Haseul and Kahei took it upon themselves to begin serving Yeojin. Kahei handed her extra napkins because she knew she could get messy sometimes. Yeojin looked up at her and smiled big, “Thank you Kahei unnie.” 

Kahei pinched her cheek, “Of course.” 

Hyunjin watched them from across the table and was visibly jealous. Kahei looked at her, “You want me to baby you too?” 

Hyunjin pouted, “No. I don’t care.” 

She put her head down on the table. Haseul and Kahei looked over to Yerim for some sort of explanation. 

Haseul was the one to ask, “What’s up with Hyunjin?” 

Yerim poked Hyunjin’s side, “Should I tell them or do you want to?” 

Hyunjin shrugged, “I don’t care.” 

Yerim wanted to be a smartass but Hyunjin didn’t need that at the moment. 

“Well, Hyunjin was going to ask Heejin to be her girlfriend today…” 

Haseul, Kahei and Yeojin all look surprised. Kahei spoke, “Don’t tell me she said no?” 

Yerim shook her head, “No. Hyunjin found out Heejin is friends with Sooyoung.” 

Kahei’s eyes widened and she looked straight at Haseul whose mouth had formed an O. Yeojin had no idea what was going on. Yerim looked at them strangely. 

“Damn it Haseul, I told you this was going to happen.” 

Hyunjin sat up upon hearing those words, “What do you mean?....Did you already know?” 

Kahei twiddled her thumbs and bit her lip. She knew the outcome of this conversation wasn’t going to end well. Before she could answer, Haseul spoke up. 

“Yes, Kahei and I knew. She wanted to tell you but I didn’t think it was a big deal. But she was going to tell you anyway. It just happened too late is all.” 

Hyunjin felt herself becoming a bit angry, “But why wouldn’t you tell me from the start? You know I hate Sooyoung.” 

Again Haseul spoke, “But it doesn’t matter. It has nothing to do with Heejin.” 

“Well it does matter to me!” 

Kahei knew things were about to escalate and she tried her best to mediate the situation. 

“Hyunjin, I know you don’t like Sooyoung and you probably feel a bit weird because you think “If Heejin is friends with someone like Sooyoung, then what kind of person is she really?” But you’ve got the wrong idea about Sooyoung. Please let me expla---” 

Hyunjin slammed her fist on the table, “I have every right to hate her. She was trying to sabotage me. She intentionally hurt me. Don’t you think that’s a good enough reason?” 

The girls sat in silence until Haseul spoke up, “What’s that supposed to mean? Who said that to you?” 

Hyunjin responded, “Yoohyeon told me.” 

Haseul thought back to the day that the opposing team members had spoken to Hyunjin. She wasn’t sure what to say. But Kahei did. 

“Hyunjin, please think about this. I know you are really upset but I just really don’t think that’s true. Sooyoung has never cared about soccer. We all know that it’s true that she just joined to score some girls. Why would she plan something like that out? She doesn’t care enough to win. She’s not even a good player. You know Jinsoul and Jungeun carry that team.” 

Hyunjin knew she had a point but she still wasn’t sure. 

“I don’t know anymore. Everything is so confusing to me right now. I just wanted to ask Heejin out. That’s all I wanted to do. I wish you had told me this earlier. At least then…” 

Yeojin piped in, “Then what unnie? Were your feelings for Heejin going to change at all?” 

Everyone looked at Yeojin. She hadn’t said a single word the whole time. She had just sat eating her pie and ice cream. 

Hyunjin sighed, “No, they wouldn’t have. Even now, my feelings haven’t changed at all.” 

“So then why are you stressing over this? Heejin has no fault in this.” 

Yeojin was really wise for her age. At least when she wasn’t acting like a maniac at the arcade. 

Hyunjin said nothing. She was at a loss for words. 

Yerim thought it was time she told Hyunjin about what she had asked Gahyeon to do. 

“Hyunjin, I have to tell you something.” 

Hyunjin looked at her scared, “Please don’t tell me it’s more bad shit. Please. I can’t take this.” 

“No, it’s not. I took it upon myself to ask someone for help. Gahyeon is friends with Yoohyeon and she’s going to get information from her. I’m just waiting on it.” 

“Is that why you went to have lunch with her?” 

“Yes.” 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” 

Yerim frowned, “Because you would have stopped me and told me there’s no need because Sooyoung is a bitch and blah blah.” 

Hyunjin glared at her. She was right though. 

Haseul was quick to offer a better solution, “Why not just ask Heejin? She can literally give you an answer in like less than an hour.” 

Kahei shook her head, “It’s not fair to Heejin. Sure she likes Hyunjin a lot, but she’s still friends with Sooyoung and she can’t just ask her “Hey did you intentionally hurt Hyunjin?” It could cause some tension.” 

They all agreed that was a bad idea but how long was it going to take for Gahyeon to get the information they needed? But most importantly was it going to change how Hyunjin felt towards Sooyoung? Yerim had thought about that. Even if she got the information, then what would really happen. 

“But Hyunjin...is it going to change how you feel about Sooyoung? Will you hate her even less?” 

Hyunjin wasn’t sure. She shrugged and said, “I don’t know. I might hate her less if it’s not true and maybe I won’t be so angry when I face her.” 

Haseul chuckled, “Well that’s a start.” 

The girls all laughed knowing damn well that Hyunjin was stubborn and was still going to hate her. It was going to take a lot to change her mind. But if they could avoid any type of conflict, they were going to take what they could get from her. 

Kahei now was worried about Heejin, “So...are you going to talk to Heejin and explain everything?” 

Hyunjin answered, “Honestly, I’m scared. What if she’s mad at me?” 

All the girls groaned and Yeojin quickly spoke her mind, “Gosh unnie, you are so complicated. Ugh.” 

Kahei was quick to defend Hyunjin, “Yeah, I agree but I see where you are coming from. Talk to her when you are ready but don’t make her wait too long. It’s just going to worry her even more.”

“Alright unnie…” 

Yerim and especially Kahei seemed to relax finally. Yerim was happy that Hyunjin had taken things better than she thought. Kahei was happy that Hyunjin hadn’t gotten pissed at everyone. It was the thing she worried about the most. That Hyunjin was going to get angry at them and ignore everyone. 

The girls continued their night and ordered some takeout. Hyunjin was feeling slightly better but couldn’t help but feel bad that Heejin wasn’t there. They were having fun and Hyunjin felt guilty about it. Heejin was probably really upset and worried. Hyunjin thought about picking up her phone and sending her a message to apologize but she wasn’t even sure what to say at that moment. Maybe it was best to wait.

The girls horsed around for a while but Yeojin was the first to knock out. Haseul and Kahei decided to spend the night. Everyone always had a change of clothes and the stuff they needed to stay over anyway. Hyunjin helped the girls set up the big sofa bed in the living room and then headed back to her room. Yerim was already in bed. 

“You got comfortable quick.” 

Yerim rolled around in bed to face her, “I’m tired. You make me tired.” 

“Whatever.” 

Hyunjin reached into her bookbag with the intention of pulling out her sketchbook. She looked three times before she began to panic. 

“Oh fuck…” 

Yerim saw the panic in Hyunjin’s movements, “What’s wrong? Did you lose something?” 

Hyunjin gulped, “My sketchbook…” 

Yerim gasped and said, “Don’t tell me you had the sketch and note in there???” 

Hyunjin put her hands on her head, “I did!!! I don’t know where I left it…” Realization hit quickly, “Oh my god, I think I left it in the classroom. Heejin must have it.” 

Yerim’s mouth formed an o. 

“Unnie..” 

“Shit shit shit, what am I going to do now?” 

Yerim thought about it, “Well...isn’t that good? She knows your feelings at least.” 

“But she probably also thinks I’m crazy. Oh my god Yerim, why am I so stupid?” 

Yerim didn’t want to answer that one. 

“Hyunjin relax. Listen, just for now, forget about everything. Come into bed, chill out. Let’s do our usual routine tomorrow morning and if you are up to it, then you can contact Heejin. I have never seen you so stressed out and it’s scaring me.” 

Hyunjin took a deep breath, “Ok. Ok, you are right. I’m just going to relax.” 

Hyunjin began to breathe in and out until she felt herself calm down. Yerim patted the spot next to her and Hyunjin climbed into bed. Yerim was always the one clinging onto Hyunjin but this time Hyunjin placed her head on Yerim’s chest. 

“It will be ok, unnie. Just go to sleep for now.” 

Yerim stroked Hyunjin’s hair until she could hear light snoring. Yerim was really hoping this would all be done soon. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kay everyone, this fic is going to be done soon. I never wanted this to get too drama filled. I wanted to keep it as lighthearted as possible. Things haven't exactly been resolved just yet even though this chapter makes it seem like it's close. I got one more trick up my sleeve. There's maybe 3 or 4 chapters left so I hope you all stick around until the end. :)


	15. It's hard to talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sup everyone! the beginning of the chapter is a mini flashback in case you get confused. not much else to say besides we're almost at the end.

“Hyunjin! Let’s go to the cat cafe!”

Heejin pulled out a flyer from her bag and shoved it in Hyunjin’s face. Hyunjin took the pamphlet and glanced at it before looking up at Heejin who was smiling brightly.

“Ah Heejin, you know these aren’t my kind of places…”

Heejin pouted and put her hands on her hips, “And why not? You love cats! Yerim told me you’ve been wanting to go.”

Hyunjin sighed and looked through the pamphlet again, “I do, I really do but...it’s just always so crowded. I get so anxious.”

Heejin sat next to Hyunjin on the school bench and reached for her hand, “I’ll be there for you though. I’ll be right next to you so you don’t feel uncomfortable or feel anxious. I think you would really like it a lot and it’s nice to experience new things, don’t you think?”

Hyunjin looked down at Heejin’s hand and smiled, “You promise you won’t leave my side? I might freak out if you do.”

Heejin nodded her head, “I promise. I’ll stick by you the whole time. I’ll super glue our hands together if I need to.”

Hyunjin giggled, “You don’t need to do that but thanks.”

Heejin smiled big, her eyes turning into crescents. Hyunjin felt like the air left her lungs. Heejin was really beautiful.

“Look, they have a few rules. There’s only 15 people allowed at a time. We should probably get there early so we can get in during the start. Then you won’t have to deal with a big crowd for too long.”

Hyunjin relaxed and skimmed through the rest of the pamphlet with Heejin leaning on her shoulder.

“There’s 10 cats in total….Heejin, aren’t your allergies going to flare up?”

Heejin shrugged, “Probably but I’ll take some medicine. I really want to do this with you.”

Hyunjin tried to contain the big smile that wanted to form on her lips, “You know, Yerim has been harassing me about doing this but I’ve refused every time.”

Heejin smirked, “Yeah, but you want to go with me huh? Kim Hyunjin, do you like me or something?”

Hyunjin winked at the girl and stood up to gather her books, “Maybe. I’ll see you later Heejin. The bell is about to ring.”

Heejin wanted to say more but the bell rang as soon as she opened her mouth. Hyunjin turned away and began to walk while waving at Heejin. Heejin pouted but also quickly gathered her books to head to her next class.

The girls agreed to head out early on Sunday to hopefully be part of the first group of people to go in. The cafe was a little ways off so they decided to meet at a train stop to avoid getting lost by themselves and to keep each other company during the long trip. Hyunjin had been up bright and early as usual but she was tired.

Heejin rubbed Hyunjin's shoulder gently, "Do you want to sleep for a bit? We are about 40 minutes away from our stop. You can put your head on my shoulder."

Hyunjin rubbed her eyes sleepily, "Are you sure that's ok? You won't be uncomfortable?"

Heejin patted her shoulder, "Nope, come sleep. I'll wake you up when we get close."

Hyunjin yawned and made herself as comfortable as she could.

"Thank you Heejin."

Heejin smiled and looked over at Hyunjin's "sleeping" face. Heejin kissed the top of her head, earning herself a small chuckle from Hyunjin.

Heejin felt her eyes closing too, so she took out her phone to keep herself distracted. She needed to keep herself awake.

The train ride was uneventful. It was early on a Sunday and there weren’t too many people. Heejin considered moving Hyunjin’s head to her lap but thought it might look a bit weird to the few people around. Heejin kept an eye on where they were and soon enough they were three stops away. She decided this would be a good enough time to wake Hyunjin up.  
  
She stroked her hand gently and whispered, “Hey, sleepyhead, it’s time to get up. We are almost there.”

Hyunjin slowly opened her eyes, trying to adjust to the sun’s rays coming in from the window. She wiped her eyes and stretched her arms.

“Oh, that felt so nice. Your shoulder was comfortable.”   
  
Heejin giggled. Truth be told, her shoulder had fallen asleep ages ago. She rubbed at it a little to get rid of that strange static feeling.

Hyunjin noticed and asked, “Did it fall asleep because of my big head?”

“Yeah, your big head was too much.”

Hyunjin scoffed, “You weren’t supposed to agree my head is big.”

Heejin laughed and stood up to look out the window, “Yeah well, you got a big head and massive hands too.”

Hyunjin smirked, “Of course. I need to be able to catch balls as a goalie and massive hands are good for choking Yerim as well. Speaking of which, I should text her to let her know we are almost there.”

Hyunjin took out her phone and shot her friend a quick text. She received a message back almost instantly and it made her entire face turn red.

_Yerim: “Nice! Have fun and make sure you are only petting the pussies at the cafe!! LOVE YOUUUUUUU.”_

Hyunjin growled, “Fucking Yerim!”

Heejin turned to look at her, confusion clear on her face.

“What did Yerim say?”

Hyunjin shook her head and threw her phone into her bag, “Something really bad. I can’t say it out loud.”

Heejin didn’t want to know. It probably was really bad. The girls stood in silence until they heard the announcement for their stop.

“We’re here. You got everything?”

Hyunjin looked around nodded her head. Heejin reached for her hand and they left the train and walked out of the station.

“It’s not too far from here. Just a few blocks up this street.”

Heejin had made sure to gather as much information as she could so the trip could be easy on Hyunjin.

“There’s also a nice ramen place near here. We can go there for lunch if you’d like?”

Food? That got Hyunjin extra excited.

“Yes! I’m gonna work up an appetite after playing with all those cats. Wow Heejin you’re really hitting all my spots today.”

Heejin blushed, “Y-your spots?”

Hyunjin furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, “Yeah? My spots….oh...OH. I didn’t mean it that way...Heejin...oh my god. You’ve been hanging out with Yerim too much.”

“No way! You say really bad stuff too!”

“I don’t show it to you though!! Unlike Yerim who puts the phone in your face.”

Heejin started to remember the many times she actually thought she would need eye bleach.

“Ugh don’t remind me.”

Hyunjin remembered one particular time where Yerim found a super disgusting clip and cleared the entire room of girls. Hyunjin was the only one who stayed and they both laughed at the video.

Heejin punched Hyunjin’s arm, “Stop remembering gross stuff!”

Hyunjin stuck out her tongue and laughed hard, “Haseul was so angry at Yerim that day oh my god. It was the best.”

Heejin covered her mouth in order to control her own laughter. She hadn’t seen Haseul get that flustered and her response had been something else.

“Alright alright, let’s stop being mean to poor Haseul. She didn’t deserve that. Look we are close the cafe.”

Heejin pointed to a business in the corner. There were already several people standing outside. Hyunjin looked and gulped. Heejin squeezed her hand gently, “It’s not too many people and I said I wouldn’t leave your side.”

Hyunjin took a deep breath, “...Ok. I trust you Heejin.”

The girls walked to the cafe and stood behind the people already in line. They were a bit loud and talking excitedly. Hyunjin tried her best to drown out the noise. Heejin tried her best to keep Hyunjin preoccupied.

“Hyunjin, are you going to buy those little lollipops to feed the cats? I bet they will swarm to you.”

“Yeah, and some treats. I think they also sell some special treats to take home. I want to get a few baggies to take to the neighborhood cats.”

“That’s sweet. I know those cats really must love you.”

Hyunjin laughed, “I’m sure they love my food.”

Heejin poked Hyunjin’s cheek and said, “I don’t know, it’s hard not to love you in general.”

Hyunjin smirked, “Jeon Heejin, stop flirting with me. Do you like me or something?”

Heejin grinned, remembering the exchange they had at school. She knew exactly what to say.

“Maybe. Look they are letting people in.”

Heejin pulled Hyunjin’s hand before she could get another word in. The girls reached the entrance and paid the fee. The employee was very kind to them and went over the rules and encouraged them to socialize with all the cats as they were all very nice and cuddly.

The girls had been on the further end of the line so by the time they got in people had already settled down and were sitting down with the cats. Hyunjin looked around awkwardly. There were a few spots but for the most part it was a bit crowded in.

“Hyunjin? There’s a spot there we can sit at.”

Heejin pointed to the corner and sure enough there was a nice little area they could sit at. As they walked to the spot Hyunjin spotted a fat cat lazing around on a shelf. Hyunjin giggled in delight. The cat looked directly at her and meowed.

“I think the kitty likes you, Hyunjin.”

“I hope he gets down soon. I really want to pet him.”

Heejin looked around and there was a counter to buy some snacks to lure the cats.

“I’ll buy a few snacks. Sit tight while I get them. Is that ok?”

Hyunjin nodded her head and sat down as Heejin left to the counter. Hyunjin looked around and saw that there were various toys and many shelves for the cats to hang out on. Most of the cats were lazing around but there were a few running around and playing with the guests. Hyunjin picked up a stick and flung it around in order to grab the attention of an orange cat that was running around. The cat saw the toy flying and ran towards it. Hyunjin played for a bit and made the cat jump in the air. She was so focused on the little animal that she didn’t notice a random guy sit next to her.

“He seems to like you a lot.”

Hyunjin jumped a little in place and glanced over at the stranger. She nodded her head and continued to play with the cat.

“I’ve never seen you around here. Is this your first time at the cafe?”

Hyunjin really didn’t feel like talking to the guy but she also didn’t want to be rude. She nodded her head once again. Maybe he’d get the hint and go away.

“You don’t speak much, do you?”

“I don’t have much to say.”

The guy chuckled and Hyunjin internally groaned. The guy was annoying but in reality Hyunjin just wanted to spend time with Heejin and play with some cats.

“Well, I’m sure I can get something out of you. What’s your name?”

Hyunjin wasn’t sure what to say but she was luckily saved by the sound of Heejin’s deep voice.

“Hyunjin, I got the lollipops.”

Heejin turned to the guy who stared back at her.

“Um...can I help you?”

The guy smiled, trying to turn up the charm and said, “Oh, I was just talking to Hyunjin here. Are you her friend?”

Heejin raised a brow. She wanted to punch this guy. How dare he act so familiar with Hyunjin?

“Yeah. Do you mind? You took my seat.”

The guy awkwardly stood up and Heejin sat down. He stood in place for a few seconds and watched Heejin hand Hyunjin some of the lollipops and some treats she had bought. Heejin glanced up at him and shot him a dirty look. The guy quickly got the message and retreated back to where he came from.

Hyunjin choked back her laughter, “God Heejin, that was brutal!!”

Heejin shrugged, “I’m not usually like this but I promised you I would keep you safe and comfortable. I left for five minutes and some asshole was already bothering you. I should have said more…”

“It’s ok. He wasn’t that bad. I just didn’t want to talk to him. Thank you though. You made me feel comfortable and you gave me a good laugh too.”

“Anything for you, Hyunjin. Here, the guy at the counter told me this particular lollipop gets that fat lazy cat up and running.”

Heejin unwrapped the lollipop and handed it to Hyunjin. The cat was staring at Hyunjin so she waved the lollipop and the cat hopped down from the shelf and sauntered over to where the girls were sitting. It sat in front of Hyunjin and moved its tail from side to side. Hyunjin patted her lap and the cat rubbed itself against her leg before jumping on and licking the lollipop in her hand.

Heejin called over the orange cat who had thrown itself on the ground and had been watching the exchange between Hyunjin and the stranger. She laid down some treats and the cat ate while she petted him.

Soon enough more cats were going to the girls to get some treats or just to get petted. It was strange because there were other people with treats as well but the cats ignored them.

“Is this heaven?” Hyunjin was so happy that Heejin had convinced her to go to the cafe.

Time passed by too quickly and they unfortunately had to leave. The girls waved goodbye to the cats and stepped outside.

“Thanks for bringing me here, Heejin. It was better than I thought.”

Heejin was about to answer but let out a sneeze. Hyunjin looked at her closely.

“Oh no, your eyes are a little red…” Hyunjin examined Heejin’s hands, “And your arms and hands are red...I have some medicine. Aww Heejin, I’m sorry. Let’s not do this again. One time was good enough for me.”

Heejin shook her head, “It’s ok. It will clear up. Seeing you this happy and excited is enough for me. I don’t regret it...but I do need that medicine now. And I’m hungry so let’s go to the ramen shop. We’ll be back though, you can count on that.”

Hyunjin blushed and whispered a quiet “thank you.”

\-----

Hyunjin was having trouble sleeping. It was Tuesday and she still hadn’t spoken to Heejin. She didn’t go to tutoring and headed straight to soccer practice. Her team members were surprised but didn’t mind. They had an important game coming up and they needed their captain around.

Yerim on the other hand wasn’t happy.

“When are you going to talk to Heejin?”

“I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know? Just fucking talk to her.”

“I can’t. I’m nervous.”

“You’re a damn coward. She’s probably suffering on her own because you won’t talk to her.”   
  
Hyunjin groaned, “Please don’t remind me. It’s tearing me apart knowing she’s probably upset and confused. I know I’m a damn coward but I’m really embarrassed too.”

Yerim dropped the argument and just shook her head sadly. She knew Hyunjin was hurting but she at least had friends backing her up and supporting her and they knew why she was upset. Heejin on the other hand, had no idea what was going on and Yerim felt her heart breaking just thinking about the girl waiting for Hyunjin in the art room the day before.

She didn’t even need to see if she was there. She knew she was.

Hyunjin laid her head against the table and sighed heavily. She suddenly felt her phone vibrate and checked it. It was Heejin.

 _Heejin: “Are you not coming to tutoring today? I’ll wait for you as long as I need to but I also really just want to talk. Please, Hyunjin? Just tell me what’s wrong. Even if it’s something small, I’ll work on fixing it.”_   
  
Hyunjin put the phone down and rubbed her temples. Yerim glanced at her and said, “What did Heejin say?”

Hyunjin passed the phone over to Yerim, who read the message and frowned.

“Hyunjin...just talk to her. She’s obviously hurting and you won’t even give her an explanation.”

Hyunjin said nothing. Yerim felt herself getting angry and decided it was best to leave.

“Ok Hyunjin. I won’t say more. I’ll see you at practice later.”

Yerim gathered her things and left. She didn’t feel like arguing with Hyunjin again. Things had been a bit tense the past couple of days. She had really expected things to clear up on Sunday but Hyunjin had been avoiding her phone and avoiding the topic of Heejin.

Yerim just couldn’t understand why Hyunjin just wouldn’t talk to the girl she supposedly had deep feelings for.

Suddenly she thought about Gahyeon and how she had pushed her away because she was afraid of what a relationship might bring. Yerim sighed. Life was so much easier when all they did was play games and laze around. She figured she could cut Hyunjin some slack. This was the first time Hyunjin actually liked somebody. For a while Yerim thought Hyunjin would marry soccer or cats. It’s not like there was an actual guide on how to deal with problems in relationships.

Yerim approached her next class and looked at her phone quickly. Still no word from Gahyeon. She hadn’t even seen her around. They didn’t have any classes together except for lunch but Yerim hadn’t seen her. Yerim was beginning to worry that she had banked too much on this working out. If Gahyeon didn’t get back to her soon then things were going to get even more complicated.   
\-------   
  
It was Thursday and it was officially one week before their game against Sooyoung. Yerim was nervous and had been extra grumpy, which was a first for the sunshine of the school.

She and Hyunjin had been butting heads all throughout practice and Haseul had to stop them several times. Tensions were high and Yerim was getting angrier with Hyunjin over the situation with Heejin.

Yerim started feeling sick during her class and excused herself to go to the bathroom. She had been losing sleep and had been overthinking. Time was running out.  


As she walked her phone vibrated. She looked at it. It was Gahyeon. Yerim opened up the text and read through the message. She let out a loud slgh of relief.

 _Gahyeon: “Yerim! I’m so sorry for how long it’s taken to get this information for you. I met up with Yoohyeon yesterday finally. After some poking and prodding, I got her to talk about the meetup she had with Hyunjin. She tried to play it cool but Yoobin forced her to spill. It was a lie. She’s trying to start trouble to get Hyunjin disqualified. She feels like she can take on Sooyoung’s team but she knew she would lose against Hyunjin. She wants the team to win for her captain’s sake. Long story short, Minji is graduating and never got a chance to win. Plus Yoohyeon’s head over heels in love with her so she wanted to do this for her. I also got a few screenshots for you in case you want to show Hyunjin that as well.”_ _  
_Yerim was getting ready to thank Gahyeon when she saw Heejin entering the bathroom. She felt a pang of guilt which was quickly replaced with annoyance. Hyunjin’s groupies were entering the bathroom as well. Yerim knew there was about to be trouble. She sprinted over and sure enough the girls had Heejin cornered.

 _“_ I don’t know where you came from but you can’t take Hyunjin away from us.”

 _“_ We’ve been cheering for Hyunjin since the start of the year. Who do you think you are?”

 _“_ Hyunjin could never like an ugly girl like you…”

Yerim refused to listen to anymore. She cleared her throat loudly, “Well, well, well, what do we have here?”

The girls all froze and turned to Yerim. They knew that Yerim was Hyunjin’s best friend and the consequences of their actions was very clear.

“Yerim unnie, we weren’t going to do anything to Heejin unnie.”

“We just wanted to talk to her.”

“We wanted to reassure her that we support her and Hyunjin of course.”  
  
Yerim raised a brow, “Shut the fuck up. I thought Hyunjin made it clear that she didn’t want any of you bothering Heejin. Just wait until I tell her.”

The girls decided to scatter and fled the bathroom without saying another word. Yerim turned to Heejin, “You ok?”

Heejin ran to her and hugged her while mumbling “thank you.” Yerim stroked her hair gently and realized that Heejin was crying.

“Yerim, please tell me what I did. I just want to talk to her again. I want to see her.”

Yerim felt really guilty and realized that if Hyunjin was feeling bad, Heejin must feel much worse..

“Heejin, I can’t speak for Hyunjin, but I will most definitely help you corner her so you can get her to talk. Hyunjin always has great advice for her friends and she’s helped our group of friends out in more ways than one. She’s just terrible at following her own advice. And….she’s really dumb.”

Heejin sniffled, “Why do you want to help me?”   
  
“Because you both obviously have strong feelings for each other and it’s bothersome to have you separated. It really hurts me to think that you are both suffering. Hyunjin is my best friend and you have become a good friend to me too. I want to help you both. We can figure this out but it won’t be easy because of how stubborn Hyunjin is. We’ll come up with a plan, ok?”   


“Ok….thank you Yerim. I also consider you a good friend.”

Yerim winked at her, “Oh...by the way. You have Hyunjin’s sketchbook, right?”

“Oh...yes I do. Do you want it?”

Yerim shook her head, “No, hold onto it until you see her. Um...have you looked at the loose sheet?”

Heejin shook her head, “I didn’t. I didn’t want to invade her privacy.”

Yerim was impressed with Heejin’s morals. She would have definitely looked at the paper.

“Don’t look at it. Just wait. When you get to talking to her, hand her the sketchbook. I think she will show you the sheet then. Trust me on this.”

“I trust you.” Heejin smiled at Yerim.

“I’ll text you later, ok? I need to talk to Hyunjin first and fix all this mess. I wish I could tell you more Heejin, but this is a lesson I want Hyunjin to learn. Let’s head back to class or else our classmates are going to think we were taking a shit.”

Heejin giggled. She wondered how Yerim’s mind worked sometimes.  



	16. Face your fears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoy! I think there might be two more chapters after this, unless i come up with something else. :D

“Hyunjin!!”

Hyunjin was gathering her books from her locker when she heard a voice call out to her. She looked back and saw Yerim running towards her. Things had definitely been extremely tense between them the past couple of days. Hyunjin couldn’t be mad however. She knew she was acting like an idiot. But no matter what happened, the two girls would always make up almost instantly. 

“What’s up? You want to walk to practice together?” 

Yerim put her hands on her knees and tried to catch her breath. 

“Hyunjin, we need to talk.” 

Hyunjin looked at her, puzzled, “But we have to get to practice. Can this wait until after?” 

Yerim shook her head and put her hand on Hyunjin’s shoulder, “No, we have to talk now. It’s about Sooyoung.” 

Hyunjin narrowed her eyes, “What about her?” 

Yerim took out her phone and handed it over to Hyunjin. 

“Read that. I got Gahyeon to help me out. Read that and I swear to god, if you still have doubts I’m going to choke you.” 

Hyunjin took the phone and began to read through the messages that Yerim pointed out. Minutes passed and there was silence. Yerim was getting impatient. 

“Well?” 

Hyunjin reread the messages and combed her hair back in frustration. 

“I’m a fucking idiot.” 

Yerim let out a breath she didn’t even realize she had been holding. She was ready to fight Hyunjin on the spot if she disagreed. 

“Ok, so now you know. Can you please drop this Sooyoung thing and go talk to Heejin?” 

Hyunjin handed Yerim back her phone. 

“It’s not that easy, Yerim.” 

Yerim put her hands up in frustration, “Yes it is! You can go talk to her right now because you know damn well she is waiting for you in the art room.” 

Hyunjin closed her locker and put on her bookbag, “Drop it Yerim. We have to go to practice. Our game is exactly one week from now. I’m not losing to Sooyoung. Fine, she didn’t plot against me but I still need to beat her.” 

Yerim rolled her eyes and mumbled, “Fine.” 

She wasn’t in the mood to argue. She already knew Hyunjin was going to continue to be stubborn and avoid Heejin. She knew Hyunjin was a huge coward and hated confrontation. She already knew all of this. 

And because she knew, she felt a little bad for what she was planning in her head. She was going to talk to Heejin later in the day and she hoped Heejin would go along with what she was thinking. It was going to be uncomfortable for Hyunjin but she needed to learn a lesson and she needed to make up with Heejin. 

\-----   
  
“So are you ok with this, Heejin?” 

Yerim and Heejin had decided to secretly meet up before classes started. They needed to go over a few things for that Friday. Yerim wasn’t going to ask Hyunjin anything about Heejin that day. She wanted Hyunjin to be as calm and relaxed as possible. She didn’t want to risk ruining her day or ruining practice. The team was very enthusiastic and passionate about doing well and Yerim didn’t want to add tension to their practice session.    
  
“I’m ok with it. I hate to make her feel uncomfortable but I need to talk some sense into her.” 

Yerim agreed, “Yeah, she will probably strangle me after but it’s worth it. She can’t go through life always avoiding situations that make her feel uncomfortable. I’ve already spoken to Haseul and Kahei. They agree not to show up and I will head home with them after practice is done.” 

Heejin let out a deep breath, “I hope this works.” 

Yerim put a hand on her shoulder, “It will. I’m one hundred percent sure it will work. Hyunjin is hurting a lot and I know she needs a push.” 

Heejin remained silent for a bit but couldn’t help but ask, “Does Hyunjin like me?” 

Yerim rolled her eyes, “Heejin, don’t ask dumb questions. You know the answer to that.” 

“Well...it’s nice to hear a confirmation.” 

Yerim laughed and began to gather her books, “You don’t need to hear it from me. Hyunjin is the one in charge of that.” 

Heejin pouted and also gathered her things.

“Hey Heej, you got the sketchbook, right?” 

“Yes, right here.” 

Heejin was carrying it in her arms. 

“You haven’t looked at the sheet, right?” 

Heejin shook her head, “No, I haven’t.” 

Yerim smiled, “Ok, good. I guess I’ll see you at home then. I know Hyunjin is going to bring you over. I’ll order some pizza and we can celebrate.” 

Heejin smiled. She didn’t understand how Yerim could always be so positive. It’s like she knew something was going to happen. 

“How do you always stay so positive?” 

Yerim puffed out her chest, “Cuz that’s me. I’m literally the sunshine of this school. It’s my job to make sure all my friends are happy, especially Hyunjin.” 

“But...why?” 

Yerim grinned, “There doesn’t need to be a reason why. It’s just who I am. Now let’s go, the bell is going to ring.” 

Heejin wanted to say more but the bell did begin to ring. Yerim winked at her and walked away. Heejin could only say a quick mental thanks to the girl. Yerim was like an angel sent from heaven. A weird angel, but a nice one at least.    
  
\-------

Hyunjin couldn’t focus during her classes. She barely slept the night before. She had been staring at her phone for hours trying to gather the courage to call Heejin. But every time she’d have her number on the screen, she would chicken out. She wasn’t even sure what to say. 

_ “Sorry I’m an idiot and took out my anger towards Sooyoung on you.”  _

_ “Sorry I let my petty hatred towards Sooyoung affect the way I see you.”  _

_ “Sorry I’m such a fucking idiot and probably hurt you a lot.”  _

Everything just sounded so stupid. But Hyunjin knew it WAS stupid. How could she be so cold to the only girl who had ever liked her for something other than her physical appearance? Heejin was everything she could ever want in a girl. Hyunjin felt like a complete moron and she didn’t feel like she deserved Heejin’s forgiveness. Heejin had no fault in anything, yet she was the one who had felt the most backlash from Hyunjin’s anger. 

Hyunjin knew she was a total coward so she couldn’t even really get mad at Yerim for calling her out constantly. She knew that what she had done was wrong. She was close to giving up. She couldn’t bring herself to talk to Heejin. There was just no way she could do it. 

“Hyunjin?” 

Hyunjin felt someone grasp her hand lightly. It was Kahei.

“Hm? Oh, hi unnie. What’s wrong?” 

Kahei looked at her worriedly, “Are you ok? You have history now don’t you? Why are you walking to your science class?” 

Hyunjin looked around and sure enough she was in the science hall. She sighed, “I guess I have a lot on my mind.” 

Kahei gave her hand a light squeeze, “About Heejin?” 

Hyunjin nodded her head sadly. Kahei could feel her heart breaking. She considered Hyunjin one of her babies and she hated to see her like this. She did know of Yerim’s plan and she knew things were going to turn out ok but it didn’t stop her from feeling absolutely terrible for her friend. Kahei wished she could have been there for her more during the week but she and Haseul had been so busy with college things. 

“Hyunjin, everything will be ok.” 

Hyunjin shook her head, “No it won’t. I messed up and I’ve ruined my chances by waiting so long to speak to her. She probably hates me and wants nothing to do with me. I lost her.” 

Hyunjin’s eyes began to glisten and Kahei pulled her away from the curious eyes passing them by.  

“Let’s skip this period.” 

“But unnie, can’t you get in trouble?” 

Kahei smirked, “I’ve been a good girl all year and as a senior I get to take this liberty.” 

“Really?” 

“No, but I don’t care right now. I need to make sure you are ok. Let’s go to our spot.” 

The group of friends had a spot they often visited when one of them was feeling down. They’d only been caught a few times by faculty but it was close to the end of the year so nobody really cared. 

The school was fairly large and had a nice open field that students would use to hang out or study during warmer months. Their school took pride in making sure that they had plenty of gardens and foliage. The girls sat near the big tree that was in the corner of the field. 

“Here, eat this.” 

Kahei handed Hyunjin one of her favorite breads, a croissant. Hyunjin hungrily stuffed it into her mouth. She swallowed a piece and felt it get stuck in her throat. Kahei giggled and handed her a ceylon lemon tea. Hyunjin took it and quickly drank. She felt instant relief. 

“I thought I was the one who carried infinite snacks in her bag.” 

Kahei shrugged, “You haven’t been carrying anything lately. I thought I’d carry a few things for you just in case.” 

“Thank you unnie. I guess I forgot.” 

Kahei stroked Hyunjin’s hand gently, “I know you have a lot of worries. School, friends, soccer and...Heejin.” 

Hyunjin nodded her head silently. Kahei continued on, “I feel like this is my fault. I should have told you early on about their friendship. But when I think about it, I don’t even know if that would have been helpful. Maybe it would have ruined your relationship early on and you wouldn’t feel as bad as you do now. But then again, if you had distanced yourself from Heejin then you would have never fallen for her. And I know you are head over heels for her.” 

Hyunjin shook her head, “No unnie, it’s not your fault at all. I know you must have been struggling as well with not knowing what to do. I’m just an idiot. I fucked everything up.” 

Kahei reached out and wiped away the few tears that had fallen down Hyunjin’s cheeks. 

“No, you aren’t an idiot. You are Hyunjin. Proud, smart and a little stubborn. I wouldn’t have you any other way. It’s going to be ok, I promise you. Things will turn out for the better. You just need to be a little strong, ok? Can you do that for me?” 

Hyunjin sniffled a bit and said, “Yes unnie. I trust you.” 

“Good, now finish your snack we have 20 minutes to kill before our next class.” 

Hyunjin munched on her bread and laid her head on Kahei’s shoulder, “Thank you unnie.” 

\-------   


“Alright team, I’m letting you off early since it’s Friday but I expect to see you all here on Monday and Tuesday for final practices before the game on Thursday. Use Wednesday to recover. You are all doing well and I’m proud of you. We are going to beat Eden High School, right?” 

The girls on the team all shouted “Yes!” in unison. Practice always made Hyunjin feel better no matter how down she was feeling. She had a lot of faith in her teammates and she knew they could win the championship. Truth be told, she wasn’t scared of Sooyoung. She was an average player. Hyunjin was worried about Jinsoul and Jungeun, They were the best players and they really carried their team. 

But Hyunjin had really focused on working her teammates individually. She felt like she had a killer team put together. 

“Good practice today, Captain.” 

Haseul lightly jabbed Hyunjin’s shoulder, “I think you’ve really trained us all well. I am confident we are going to win next week.” 

Hyunjin smirked, “Of course we are. We are going to kick ass.” 

Haseul chuckled, “Confident Hyunjin, I like her the most. You doing ok, though?” 

Hyunjin smiled sadly, “I’ve been better.” 

Haseul gave her a hug and whispered, “It’s going to be ok.” 

Hyunjin frowned, “Everyone keeps saying that but I don’t know…” 

“You’ll see.” Haseul smirked and gave her another jab and said, “Let’s go change. We are sweaty as hell.” 

Haseul took her by the hand and they walked into the locker rooms. The girls inside were lively and running around being silly. They were all pretty high on adrenaline and excited for the weekend. Hyunjin sat down on one of the benches and began to undress. She felt a towel hit the side of her head. 

“Dry off, unnie. You are really sweaty and gross, ew.” 

Yerim was smirking and drinking from a water bottle. Hyunjin glared at her and grabbed the towel to dry off her sweat. 

“Maybe you should hit the showers, stinky.” 

Hyunjin groaned, “I’ll shower when I get home.” 

Yerim sat down next to her and offered her the water bottle, “Unnie, I really think you should go shower. It’s hot out. You need to get refreshed. I’m going to head in soon. I’m just waiting for these girls to clear out. It’s Friday and they are excited to leave.” 

Hyunjin thought about it. It was hot out and a quick rinse sounded really nice. 

“Alright, but only if you take the stall next to me.”

“I can join you in the same stall, unnie.” 

Yerim batted her eyelashes and Hyunjin rolled her eyes. 

“No.” 

Yerim laughed, “Right, ok. You want to share a shower with Heejin, I know I know.” 

“Choi Yerim, you must want to die an early death because you are asking for it right now.” 

Yerim put her arms up in defense but Hyunjin did nothing to her. Yerim let out a sigh of relief and smiled gently.

“I prefer when you are threatening me. I hate to see you so sad.” 

“Thanks Yerim.” 

Yerim laid her head on Hyunjin’s shoulder and took out her phone. They laughed at videos for a couple of minutes until the locker room was almost clear. Haseul approached them. 

“Hey girls, I’m going to go bother Kahei at the gymnasium. I think they are almost done and I want to catch a glimpse of their routine before they change.” 

Yerim pointed an accusatory finger at her unnie, “You just want to ogle Kahei in her cheerleading uniform.” 

Haseul didn’t even protest, “And what of it?” 

Yerim and Hyunjin looked at each other in amusement. Hyunjin giggled and said, “Nice to see you being so honest, unnie. We’ll wait for you then.” 

“See you in a bit.” Haseul left and the two girls were left alone. They entered the shower stalls and took quick showers. Yerim kept singing loudly while she was inside while Hyunjin banged on the wall. 

“Shut up, Yerim. Your voice is echoing and giving me a headache.” 

“Nope, my voice is beautiful. Sing with me, unnie.” 

“No! Hurry the fuck up. I’m almost done.” 

“Make sure to get behind your ears! Wash your butt too!” 

Hyunjin could hear Yerim giggling to herself. 

“You think you’re so funny, don’t you Yerim?” 

“I’m hilarious.” 

Hyunjin quietly growled and turned off the water. She grabbed a towel and began to dry herself off. She heard Yerim turn off the water in her stall and she stepped out. Hyunjin quickly got dressed, knowing that Yerim was probably going to snap a towel at her butt. 

Yerim saw how quickly Hyunjin got dressed and giggled, “I wasn’t going to do it…” 

“Yeah right! I don’t trust you with that.” 

Yerim stuck out her tongue and proceeded to get dressed. Hyunjin had to admit that she did feel a lot better after a quick shower. The girls gathered their things and headed out of the locker room. 

“You want pizza later, Yerim?” 

Yerim nodded her head, “Yeah let’s have pizza and maybe ice cream?” 

“Sounds good.” 

The girls were walking past the bleachers in the direction of the gymnasium when Yerim stopped suddenly. 

“Ah, unnie, I forgot something in the locker room. I’ll run back really quick. Wait for me here.”    
“I’ll go with you, it’s ok.” 

“No. Stay here. I’ll just be a minute. Sit down and wait.” 

Yerim pushed Hyunjin down and ran off. Hyunjin sat dumbfounded. 

“What was that about?”

Hyunjin shrugged and sat patiently. She took out her phone to pass the time. Several moments passed and Hyunjin heard some footsteps behind her. 

“About time, what did you forget, dumbass?” 

There was no response. Hyunjin turned around and was face to face with Heejin. She immediately froze and blurted out, “Heejin? What are you doing here?” 

“I want to talk.” 

Hyunjin started to panic, “Uh...uh….I can’t. I gotta go.” 

Hyunjin began to walk away in a rush, leaving behind her bag but Heejin grabbed her hand. 

“NO, don’t go, please.” 

Hyunjin froze. She wanted to break away but knew it would really sever their relationship. She took a deep breath and turned around to face Heejin. She found it extremely hard to look her in the eyes so she looked down. Heejin reached out and caressed her cheek. Hyunjin shut her eyes, unable to handle the rush of emotions she was feeling. 

“Hyunjin, please look at me.”    
  


“I can’t.” 

  
“Please try. I’m not angry at you. I could never be angry at you. I’m just hurt. I want to know why you left me that day. I want to know why you’re ignoring me.” 

Hyunjin felt herself shaking. She never did figure out what she would say. Hyunjin struggled to find the correct words. She hated these kinds of situations. She hated confronting things that made her feel sad or upset. 

  
She opened her eyes and looked at Heejin for a moment. She didn’t look upset. She looked very sad and tired. She looked lost and alone. Hyunjin felt something strange and it made her chest feel tight. She said the first thing that came to her mind. 

“I’m so sorry Heejin. I’m so so sorry. I’m such an asshole. I let myself be petty and I hurt you so much.” 

Heejin was quick to answer, “Do you hate Sooyoung?” 

“I do. But I had my reasons. I was told she was trying to sabotage me by injuring me. I’ve since learned that that wasn’t true and another team was trying to sabotage us both. “ 

Heejin thought for a moment, “But why did you get angry with me?” 

Hyunjin gulped, “Because I’m an idiot. Part of me was upset that you even hung out with someone like her. It’s stupid but...I almost felt like I was friends with the enemy.” 

“You really are an idiot.” 

Hyunjin looked down, “I know. You have every right to be upset at me. You have every right to hate me. You have every right to punch me in the face right now.” 

Heejin placed her fingers under Hyunjin’s chin and made her look at her, “I forgive you.” 

Hyunjin’s eyes widened, “Huh?” 

Heejin embraced her tightly and said, “I forgive you, you stupid dumb idiot. I missed you so much. I got so used to seeing you and being with you everyday that the past week has been torturous for me. I missed your laughter, your corny jokes, your hugs, and your kind words. I just missed you. You are a huge idiot, but I can’t be mad at you. You are so petty and stupid and ridiculously proud and stubborn but I can’t imagine not being with you. Your reasons are stupid and you are a coward for having ignored me. I waited for you every single day until the very last second. I hoped you would show up and just tell me what was wrong. I hated you so much those days but seeing you right now, I can’t. I like you so much…” 

By this point Heejin was sobbing. Hyunjin wasn’t even sure what to say. What could she say? So she decided to just hold Heejin close and try to soothe her. She stroked her hair and just continued to whisper apologies into her ear. It was the only thing that felt right. 

As time passed by, Heejin’s cries died down until she was just sniffling. Hyunjin reached into her bag and pulled out some tissues. She wiped away Heejin’s tears and just looked at her. Heejin’s eyes and the tip of her nose were red. Hyunjin kissed the side of her cheek. 

“I missed you Heejin. I’ve been a mess without you. Every night I looked at the pictures we took together and every night I had your number on my screen but I was too much of a scaredy cat to call you. I know I did wrong and even though you say you’ve forgiven me, I feel like I need to do something to make this up to you. Please, tell me what that is.” 

Heejin quickly answered, “I want you to put aside your differences and meet Sooyoung. Hyunjin, she’s really not bad. Yes, she’s absolutely cocky and stuck up. But that’s just the character she puts on. She’s gone through a lot and that’s just how she decided to present herself. I’m not saying you have to be best friends with her, but please just give her a chance. I think we’d all get along.” 

Hyunjin flinched. It wasn’t the answer she was expecting. 

“Heejin...I don’t know..” 

“You said you would do something to make up for this mess you caused. I’m only asking for this.” 

Hyunjin groaned. She knew Heejin wasn’t going to let up. 

“Ok fine. But not anytime soon. We have a game next week and I’m not going to be friendly with the enemy team. I’m going to kick her ass.” 

Heejin giggled and Hyunjin felt her heart skip a beat. Heejin’s laughter was like honey. 

“Alright well, I’ll support you then.”

“Really? You are going to cheer for me?” 

“Yes, of course. I do go to this school, you know.” 

“...Oh.” 

Heejin laughed at Hyunjin’s disappointed face and gently jabbed at her chest. 

“I’m cheering for you, Hyunjin.” 

Hyunjin blushed and rubbed the back of her head. It was still a little wet from her shower. 

“Are you free right now, Heejin? Um...want to come over?” 

Heejin smiled, “Already trying to get me back into your room, huh? You think I’m that easy Hyunjin? Maybe I’m still a little mad.” 

Hyunjin turned a darker shade of red, “N-no! I just thought you’d like to come over. The girls and I were planning to get some pizza and ice cream. If you are still mad at me, that’s ok. You can do whatever you want to me. Do you want to punch me? Go ahead. I deserve it.” 

Heejin had to admit that she really missed this side of Hyunjin. It was cute to watch her struggle with her words. 

“I’m kidding, silly. Of course I’d like to come over. I’ll punch you later so don’t try to run away again. Let’s go.” 

“Oh, wait a sec. I was waiting on Yerim to get something from the locker room. I wonder where she went.” 

Heejin smirked, “The girls are already at your house.” 

Hyunjin raised a brow, “How do you know that?” 

Heejin said nothing but kept a silly grin on her face. Hyunjin narrowed her eyes in realization, “Wait….was this a setup?” 

“It was all Yerim’s idea.” 

“...I’m gonna hug the shit out of Yerim when I see her. Ok, let’s get out of here then. It’s too hot.” 

Hyunjin began to gather her things but Heejin stopped her. 

“Um, Hyunjin, I have something of yours.” 

Heejin pulled the sketchbook out of her bookbag. Hyunjin’s eyes widened. 

“So...you did have it.” 

“Yes. I promise I only looked at the new sketches you did.” 

She handed the book over to Hyunjin. Hyunjin held it tightly in her hands. 

“So...you didn’t look at the loose sheet?” 

Heejin shook her head, “I couldn’t. I know you didn’t want me to see it.” 

Hyunjin felt herself fill with courage and decided it was now or never. 

“Well….do you want to see it now?”

  
  



	17. Finally Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for late update! I wasn't really feeling what I was writing. Kind of hit a block for a bit. Enjoy! Happy 4th of july if you celebrate it and if you don't, well happy day to you anyway! :)

“Yeah, haha, another new cat. They just keep coming to the neighborhood.” 

Hyunjin and Heejin were at the front door to Hyunjin’s home. Said girl reached into her bag and fished out her keys. 

“Do you have a name for him yet?”

Hyunjin fumbled with her keys a little but inserted them and said “Nah, I just call all of them buddy and the girls I call them sweetie.” 

Heejin giggled as Hyunjin opened the door. They both entered and there was silence in the room. Four pairs of eyes looked intensely at them. Hyunjin stared back.

“What?” 

Yerim was the first to speak, “You’re both cool again?” 

Hyunjin rolled her eyes, “Duh, why else would Heejin be here?” 

There was another moment of silence before Yeojin yelled out, “Yay! Heejin unnie is back!!” 

She got up and sprinted over to give Heejin a tight hug. Heejin was surprised but hugged the smaller girl back. 

“I didn’t know you liked me that much.” 

Yeojin, face still buried in Heejin’s chest, mumbled, “You don’t bully me like Hyunjin does.” 

Even though her voice was low, Hyunjin heard her and whacked her head, “I don’t bully you, you little shit.” 

Yeojin rubbed her head and ran to Haseul, “She hit me!!” 

Haseul shrugged, “I’m eating pizza. Babe, can you handle this?” 

Kahei made a half assed attempt at disciplining the younger girls, “Hyunjin that wasn’t very nice. Yeojin, Hyunjin barely even bullies you nowadays. You should be happy.” 

Kahei took another bite of her pizza and winked at Hyunjin. That was settled quickly.

Hyunjin cleared her throat, “Anyway, come on Heejin, let’s eat.”    
  
They made their way over to the table and Hyunjin took her usual seat next to Yerim. Yerim looked at her curiously but Hyunjin only winked at her. They would get their chance to speak. Hyunjin really wanted to thank her best friend for what she had done but it would happen later.

“Hyunjin, do you want some toppings on your ice cream?” 

Heejin was holding a small bowl full of chocolate chips. Hyunjin looked at it hungrily. 

“Yes, please.” 

“How many scoops of ice cream?” 

“Three please.” 

“Caramel sauce? Sprinkles?” 

“Yes and yes.” 

Heejin happily scooped the ice cream for herself and Hyunjin and added all the toppings Hyunjin wanted. She handed her the bowl and Hyunjin thanked her. Hyunjin quickly ate a big spoonful and some of it spilled on the side of her lip. Heejin giggled and took a napkin to wipe it off for her. 

The other girls in the room watched in amazed silence. Haseul looked at Kahei and raised a brow. Kahei shrugged. Yeojin was the one to speak up. 

“Why are you both acting like that? All gross?” 

The two girls blushed and Hyunjin said, “What? No, we aren’t. We are acting normal, right Heejin?” 

Heejin giggled nervously, “Um yeah, I don’t know what you are talking about. Eat your pizza, Yeojin.” 

Yeojin narrowed her eyes, “Did you two hook up?” 

Haseul gasped and almost snapped her neck with how quickly she turned her head towards Yeojin, “Where did you learn that from!!?” 

Yeojin sunk into her shoulders, “I heard Yerim unnie say it a while back when she was teasing Hyunjin unnie…” 

Haseul turned to Yerim, “Why are you saying those things in front of her?” 

Yerim froze, “Huh? I didn’t! Or….I wasn’t aware she was listening.” 

Haseul pointed a finger at her, “Choi Yerim, I”m going to----” 

Kahei placed a slice of pizza in front of Haseul’s face. Except it was the best piece of the whole box. It had the most toppings and the cheese was oozing off of it. Haseul took a bite and instantly calmed down. It was almost as if she had forgotten what she was angry about. Yeojin let out a sigh of relief and Yerim shot a thankful look towards Kahei. 

Hyunjin and Heejin both exhaled at the same time, not even realizing they had both been holding their breaths. They looked at each other and giggled. 

The girls settled down and began chatting about nonsense. The ice cream was finished and Hyunjin munched on the last slice of pizza. Kahei and Haseul cleared the table and Yerim volunteered to wash the dishes. Yeojin took the opportunity to run to Heejin. 

“Heejin unnie, I brought my nintendo switch, let’s play Mario Kart!” 

Heejin didn’t even get a chance to answer before she was led away by the younger girl. Haseul and Kahei sat down next to each other on the couch and watched as Yeojin excitedly set up her games. 

Hyunjin decided to go help Yerim in the kitchen. 

“Yo!” 

Yerim turned around to see Hyunjin entering the room, “Took you long enough. Help me by drying the dishes.” 

Hyunjin picked up a clean rag and stood next to Yerim. They stood in peaceful silence before Hyunjin gently punched Yerim’s shoulder. 

“Thank you.” 

Yerim chuckled, “For what?” 

“For what you set up and for making me face my fears….I don’t think I could have ever talked to Heejin again if you hadn’t intervened.” 

“Because you are stupid.” 

Hyunjin smirked, “I know. But you still care about me.” 

Yerim smiled, “Yes, I care about you a lot, idiot. It was killing me seeing you so sad and I knew the solution was so simple. God you are so stupid.” 

Hyunjin laughed. She really couldn’t argue with what she knew was true. 

Yerim elbowed her playfully, “So…? Tell me. Are you and Heejin together? Or am I going to have to beat both of your asses?” 

Hyunjin blushed a little but giggled happily, “Yeah. I gave her the sketch and she read the note and then I just asked her.” 

Yerim let out an unearthly shriek, which caused Haseul to yell, “Are you ok?” from the living room. Yerim shouted back, “YES I AM.” 

Hyunjin facepalmed, “Yerim please.” 

Yerim slammed her fists on the kitchen counter, “Tell me what happened, omg. I want all the details!!!” 

Hyunjin put her hands up, “Alright alright, oh my god, you are scary when you get this excited.” 

“Shut up and tell me!!” 

\------   
  
“Well….do you want to see it now?”

  
Heejin nodded her head, “Yes. I’ve been dying to know what you sketched out.” 

Hyunjin gulped, it was now or never. 

She handed Heejin the piece of paper and felt her heart starting to beat faster. It was almost painful. 

Heejin took the sheet and examined it closely. Her eyes widened in surprise, “Is...is this me?” 

Hyunjin nodded, “Y-yeah. I know it’s not that great but I did my best. I tried to apply all the stuff you’ve taught me...I hope you like it.” 

Heejin whispered, “I love it...It’s the nicest thing anyone has ever given me. Thank you, Hyunjin.” 

Hyunjin fiddled with her thumbs as Heejin continued to examine the drawing. She was running her fingers along some of the details, her eyes full of happiness. 

“Um..Heejin?” 

Heejin looked at Hyunjin, a huge smile plastered on her face, “Yes?” 

Hyunjin lost some of the uneasiness she felt by looking at Heejin’s smile, “Look at the back…” 

Heejin flipped over the sheet and was surprised to see a note in the back. 

_ “Heejin,  _

_ I’ve never really been good with words. Even now, I’m not even sure how to properly say this to you but I’ll do my best. I want to thank you for everything you’ve done for me. I thought that surely I would fail this class and possibly get kicked off the soccer team. Maybe it was fate, but I’m glad I met you.  _ __   
__   
_ After getting hurt, I felt so down. Hanging out with you everyday after school really became something that I looked forward to. I thought that being tutored would be a pain in the ass but it became my favorite part of the day. Even more than going to soccer practice.  _ __   
_   
_ __ Whenever I walked into the room and saw you sitting there so focused on your work, I felt something strange. But when you’d see me and smile, it really was something else. If i was having a bad day, your smile really perked me up and made everything else seem insignificant. 

_ We haven’t known each other for too long but somehow I feel so close and comfortable with you that it almost feels like we’ve known each other since the moment we were born. Oh, that sounds so cheesy but it’s really how I feel.  _

_ I guess what I want to say is that I’ve fallen for you. I hope my feelings don’t place a burden on you. It’s ok if you don’t like me back but please don’t stop being my friend. It would hurt me deeply to lose you.  _

_ -Hyunjin” _ __   
__   
Heejin looked up at Hyunjin, “Do you really mean all of this?” 

“Yeah...if it’s bothersome then I understand. I don’t expect you to just accept my feelings. Especially after all this mess.” 

Heejin laughed and Hyunjin pouted, “What’s so funny?” 

Heejin laughed some more, “ Kim Hyunjin, you are an idiot.” 

“Huh?!” 

Heejin stood up and looked right into the taller girl’s eyes, “Do you really think I don’t have feelings for you too? You idiot! I’ve liked you since before we actually met. I’ve been crushing on you since like...forever.”

Hyunjin shook her head, “But we haven’t known each other since forever.” 

Heejin sighed, “Hyunjin, don’t be dumb. My point is, I like you too. I have liked you for a long time. When Miss Lee asked me to tutor you, I immediately said yes. I thought it was a dream come true. I was over the moon. You are everything that I thought you were. Cute, funny, sweet, caring, everything. Stupid Hyunjin. I’ve been wanting to hear you say you like me too for a while. I was ready to say it myself because you are so dense!” 

Hyunjin was dumbfounded. Heejin had liked her all this time. Now that she really thought about it, there were a lot of signs. But Hyunjin still wanted to make sure. 

“So...does that mean you’ll be my girlfriend?” 

“Yes!” 

Hyunjin pumped her fist in the air, “Oh my god, yes!” She closed the gap between them and embraced Heejin. Heejin nuzzled against Hyunjin’s neck, feeling immense happiness. Hyunjin pulled away to look at Heejin face to face, “Is this real? Or am I dreaming? Am I still in my bed sad about not seeing you?” 

Heejin cupped Hyunjin’s cheeks, “Maybe I can show you that this isn’t a dream.” 

Heejin pulled Hyunjin’s face close until their lips were almost touching….

“Kim Hyunjin!!!” 

The girls quickly moved away from each other and saw that Hyunjin’s groupies were quickly approaching. 

Hyunjin groaned, “Oh brother, what do these girls want? They just won’t leave me the hell alone. I’m going to curse them out.” 

  
Heejin stood behind Hyunjin, remembering that the girls had cornered her the day before. Hyunjin noticed and asked, “Did they bother you again?” 

“Um...yeah, yesterday, in the bathroom. Yerim was around and told them off.”   
  
Hyunjin clenched her jaw. How dare these girls harass Heejin when she was by herself? Hyunjin was ready to fight. Heejin could tell Hyunjin was really angry so she tugged on her arm gently, “Stay calm, Hyunjin. They aren’t worth it.” 

“I know but it makes me angry to think they were bothering you. I want to kick their---” 

The girls were now standing in front of them. They were looking down and their leader stood a little more in front of the 4 other girls. She bowed deeply and held out a card. 

“Kim Hyunjin, Jeon Heejin, we want to apologize for the trouble we have caused you. It really was not our place to try to control who Hyunjin likes and it was cruel of us to mistreat Heejin for just being Hyunjin’s friend. Kim Hyunjin, we have admired you since the beginning of the school year. We are sorry if we came off as lecherous or perverted. It was not our intention. We know it’s not much but the girls and I pooled some money together and got you a gift card to a local restaurant. We hope you are both able to use it. Again we are very sorry for our actions. We hope you can forgive us.”    
  
Hyunjin looked over at Heejin, who was clinging onto her arm. Heejin shrugged. Hyunjin took the card the girl was holding. 

“Thank you. You really didn’t need to get us a gift card or anything. I really appreciate that you all analyzed the situation and realized the bad things you were doing. I’m also sorry if I was cruel to you all. You are younger than me and I should have been a bit more understanding. However, please do not ever bully anyone else or I will be forced to take action against you. Do you understand?” 

The girls nodded their heads and replied in unison, “Yes!” 

“Good, now go enjoy your weekends. Stay out of trouble.” 

The girls all looked up at Hyunjin, who only winked at them. That wink caused all the girls to blush and they smiled weakly and took off. Heejin giggled and said, “You really have an effect on them.” 

Hyunjin shrugged, “I’d rather not but I get that they are young. Let’s get going. Yerim is ordering pizza and I’m hungry.” 

Hyunjin reached for Heejin’s hand and they began their walk.   
  
“Hyunjin?” 

“Hm?” 

Heejin got on her tiptoes and kissed Hyunjin’s cheek. Hyunjin stopped and cupped her cheek. Sure, they had shared kissed like that often but now it felt different. Hyunjin smiled like a dork. 

“Come on silly, we will be late for pizza!” 

Heejin sprinted ahead and Hyunjin followed closely behind her. 

\--------

 

“Oh my god, Hyunjin that’s so damn cute!” Yerim gripped Hyunjin’s arm tightly, “I’m just so happy things went well. Even with your annoying groupies.” 

“Ow, please let go of my arm. You are going to actually break it.”    
  
Yerim let go of Hyunjin and pulled her into a tight hug, “I’m just really excited and happy for you!” 

Hyunjin stroked Yerim’s hair, “Thanks, Yerim. I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” 

Yerim pressed her head against Hyunjin’s shoulder, “Hey Hyunjin, can you promise me something?” 

“Anything.” 

Yerim was silent for a moment. 

“Yerim?” 

“Just..don’t forget about me.”    


Hyunjin felt her eyes fill with tears. She pushed Yerim forward by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. 

“Don’t be silly. I would never. You are my best friend. My soulmate. I would never ever forget about you. We are together until the end. Nothing and nobody will get in the way of that, ok?” 

Yerim nodded her head and Hyunjin wiped away the tears that had spilled down her friend’s cheeks. 

“You dumbass. You are stuck with me forever.” 

Hyunjin hugged Yerim once again and they stood together for a couple of minutes before Hyunjin looked at her again. 

“Let’s finish cleaning up and then let’s have fun with the rest of the girls.” 

Yerim agreed and the two girls finished the dishes. They walked out to the living room and found that Haseul and Kahei had fallen asleep leaning against each other on the couch. Yeojin and Heejin were oblivious and furiously battling each other in Super Smash Bros.    
  
“Unnie, maybe we should set up the air mattresses for them to get more comfortable.” 

The girls set up the mattresses and woke up the older girls. They both rubbed their eyes and looked around in confusion. Hyunjin pointed at the beds, “Wash up and go to bed. You are both obviously very tired.” 

Haseul shook her head, “No...what about Heejin. I have to give her a ride home.” 

Without taking her eyes away from the screen Heejin replied, “No, it’s ok. I’m staying over.” 

Haseul let out a sigh of relief, “Thank god.” 

The rest of the girls laughed while the older girls went to wash up. They were so stressed with schoolwork and college and both girls were part of teams so they really needed to rest. 

“Yeojin, Heejin, pause the game and disconnect. You can come to my room and play. Let Haseul and Kahei get some peace and quiet in here.” 

Yeojin whined but did as she was told. Heejin followed closely behind her. She had gotten really into the game. Hyunjin couldn’t help but notice and she found it very cute. Yerim elbowed her side, “Stop drooling.”    


Hyunjin scoffed, “I’m not. I’m civilized.” 

Yerim snorted, “Sure, unnie.”    
  
Yerim began to walk away before Hyunjin could get another word in.    
  
They all hung out in Hyunjin’s room until Yeojin showed signs of drowsiness. Hyunjin made her go wash up and set up a sleeping bag for her. Yerim pulled out another one and set it up next to Yeojin. She looked at Hyunjin and Heejin and smirked, “You both sleep on the bed, but I swear to god if you do something nasty, I’m calling Haseul in here.” 

Yeojin walked back into the room and heard what Yerim had said and was confused. 

“What nasty things would they be doing?” 

Yerim eyes widened, “Damn it, Yeojin. You didn’t hear anything. Don’t ever repeat what I just said.” 

“But why? I want to know.” 

“It’s not for people your age.” 

Yeojin thought for a moment, “I’m going to ask my sister.” 

Yerim began flailing her arms in desperation, “No, you won’t. Now come sleep and stop asking questions.” 

Yeojin looked at the sleeping bags on the floor and her entire face lit up, “I want to sleep with unnie!” 

“Huh?” 

Yeojin skipped to the sleeping bags and moved hers much closer to Yerim’s. She patted the spot next to her, “I want to hug you.” 

Yerim stared at Yeojin and then looked back at Hyunjin, who was covering her mouth trying to hide her laughter. 

“Yeojin, no.” 

“I’m going to ask Haseul unnie what you meant about nasty things.” 

Yerim panicked, “No, don’t…..damn it, fine. I’ll sleep next to you.” 

Yerim went to bathroom, shoulders drooping. Yeojin was a huge cuddler and often times would speak while she slept. Yerim knew she wasn’t going to be able to sleep. 

Hyunjin snorted as she watched Yerim come back into the room. Yerim glared at her, “Shut up, Kim Hyunjin. Go get some comfortable sleep with Heejin.” 

Hyunjin turned to Heejin, who had already fallen asleep. 

“Ah, she didn’t wash up. Oh well.” 

Hyunjin looked back at Yerim and winked. Yerim glared and tried to put some space between her and Yeojin. It didn’t work. Yeojin was already clinging on her like a koala. 

Hyunjin quickly washed up and returned to the room. All the girls had fallen asleep, even Yerim. The day had probably caught up with her. 

Hyunjin tiptoed to her bed and slipped under the covers. She hovered over Heejin and just took in her features. She was in a deep sleep with her mouth slightly open. Hyunjin quietly chuckled and snapped a picture with her phone. It was embarrassing for Heejin but Hyunjin just thought she looked very cute. She kissed the top of Heejin’s head and made herself comfortable in bed and drifted off into sleep.    
  
\---------   
  
Hyunjin and Yerim followed their usual routine but were accompanied by Haseul and Kahei as well. Hyunjin explained everything that had happened and the two older girls were relieved and happy to hear about how things had gone. Kahei especially. 

“Oh, my sweet Hyunjin. I’m so proud of you. You’ve grown so much since I’ve known you.” 

Hyunjin blushed, “It’s thanks to all the support all of you have given me. I owe you all a lot.” 

Haseul patted her shoulder, “You don’t owe us a thing. We love you and want the best for you. That goes for you too, Yerim.” 

Yerim smiled, “Thank you, unnie.” 

Hyunjin and Yerim were lucky that they had two older girls who cared deeply for them. There were so many times that Haseul and Kahei had lent them their support and because of that they had overcome many obstacles.    
  
The girls returned to Hyunjin’s home and upon entering, they saw that Heejin was dressed. Hyunjin asked, “Do you need to go, Heejin?”  

“Yeah, in a little. I have a project I’m working on so I need to go home.” 

Hyunjin frowned. She really wanted to hang out with Heejin that day. 

“Alright..” 

Haseul butted in, “I’ll give you a ride. Give me ten minutes to shower and get ready?” 

Heejin agreed, “Thank you unnie.” 

Haseul headed to the bathroom. Kahei began to walk to the kitchen and said, “You can’t stay for breakfast, Heejin? I’m going to make something good.” 

Heejin smiled sadly, “I’d really love to but I’m on a deadline.” 

“What are you working on?”, Hyunjin asked. Heejin hadn’t mentioned any other projects she had been working on. 

“I can’t say. It’s a secret.” 

Hyunjin pouted but she didn’t continue to ask. She knew how Heejin was about her art. 

“Will I get to see it when it’s done?” 

Heejin smirked, “Maybe.” 

Hyunjin narrowed her eyes. Why was Heejin acting so secretive about what she was doing? 

“Yerim! Come help me in the kitchen!” 

“Ok!” 

Yerim left the two girls alone and went to help Kahei. Hyunjin went to sit down next to Heejin and held her hand.    
  
“I wish you could stay.” 

“Me too, but I need to finish. What are you planning for today?” 

Hyunjin shrugged, “Not sure, I think I might just stay home. Hyejoo and Chaewon have been all over each other. I haven’t seen them in ages.” 

Heejin laughed, “Yeah, I think Sooyoung is going to have a talk with them. They are being weird.” 

Hyunjin was silent and Heejin took it as her being bothered by the mention of Sooyoung. She was about to apologize when Hyunjin said, “It’s so weird how we’ve all sort of been part of the same friend group without even realizing it. I wonder what it would be like if we all hung out.” 

Heejin gave Hyunjin’s hand a squeeze, “I think you would really enjoy it! Especially Jinsoul and Jungeun, they are really fun. Jiwoo might give you a hard time because she’s really loud but she means well. And Sooyoung...well…” 

Hyunjin laughed, “I don’t know about Sooyoung.” 

“But I thought you would be willing to try.” 

“I will. Just...not now. After the game. I need to channel my dislike for her so we win.” 

Heejin rolled her eyes and punched Hyunjin’s arm, “Really Hyunjin?” 

“Ow! You know, for not working out, you are pretty strong. You are going to damage the goods.” 

“Oh come on Hyunjin, be serious!” 

“Alright, alright. I will try my best but you have to understand that I can’t just be all chummy with her right from the start. Besides, who’s to say she even wants to be friendly with me?”    


“But she does! She’s been wanting to talk to you since she hurt you. I promise you that Sooyoung isn’t evil. She’s really nice...just a bit of a dumbass.”    
  
“...Alright Heejin. I promised I would give it a shot. Please don’t pressure me into doing it sooner. The game is very important to me. I want to beat Sooyoung, but this is also because I need our team to advance to go up against Yoohyeon. She’s the one who made up that rumor about Sooyoung intentionally hurting me.” 

Heejin remained quiet, feeling a bit bad that she was being so insistent. Hyunjin squeezed her hand. 

“Don’t make that face. I’m not upset or anything. I just want to get better at communicating my feelings. Please tell me if I ever come off too harshly.” 

“You didn’t at all. I’m just being a brat.” 

“Well, you are my brat, so it’s ok.” 

Hyunjin smiled widely, revealing her canines. Heejin blushed and for a moment she felt like she was dreaming. Was Hyunjin really her girlfriend now? 

Hyunjin sensed the change in mood and started closing the gap between them. They were about to kiss when Haseul yelled out from the hallway, “Heejin, I’m ready! Go get your stuff.” 

The girls quickly pulled away from each other and Haseul entered the living room and didn’t even realize what she had just interrupted.    
  
Heejin stood up, “Guess I’ll be going now. Hyunjin, you finished your final art piece for class right?” 

“Yes. I have to turn it in next Friday. Can you give it a final look before then?” 

“Of course. I’ll be busy the next couple of days and I’m sure you will be too but we’ll plan something, ok?” 

“Sure.” 

Haseul opened the door and Heejin followed behind her. Hyunjin got up and both girls looked at each other for a moment. Haseul raised a brow, feeling a little uncomfortable because she was obviously interrupting something. Is that how the girls felt when she and Kahei were lovey dovey?

Heejin pressed her lips against Hyunjin’s cheek, “See you around, Hyunjin. I’ll text you later.” 

Heejin walked out and Hyunjin stared at her back. She then looked at Haseul who wiggled her eyebrows. 

“Shut up, Haseul.” 

“I didn’t say anything though.” 

“Well shut up anyway. Hurry back or I’ll eat everything Kahei is making.” 

“You wouldn’t. Get your girlfriend to make delicious breakfast for you.” 

“I will, but for now I’ll eat Kahei’s food so hurry the hell up.” 

Haseul huffed before closing the door behind her. Hyunjin did her usual routine. She stood at the window and watched as Haseul walked to her car. Haseul saw her and gave her the finger. Hyunjin snorted. It would never get old. 

“Hyunjin come take over for Kahei so she can shower!! She stanks!” 

“Shut up, Yerim!!” 

Hyunjin laughed. Kahei was usually somewhat reserved but she could get loud when she was embarrassed. 

At least Hyunjin could count on her friends to keep her distracted. 

 


	18. Game Day

“So you haven’t seen Heejin since Saturday?” 

Yerim looked over at her friend, who was frowning. 

“No. I miss her.” Hyunjin pouted and her shoulders drooped down. The two friends were walking to Hyunjin’s house. It was Wednesday and Hyunjin had a quick pep talk with her team and sent them all home. They needed to rest. Haseul stayed behind to help Kahei with some preparations for the cheerleading team. But Hyunjin and Yerim both knew that Haseul was just sticking around to see Kahei in her uniform. 

“What’s she doing anyway?” 

Hyunjin shrugged, “I don’t know. She just said she was working on a project but I have no clue what it is.” 

Yerim rubbed her friend’s shoulder and said, “But have you not talked at all?” 

“We’ve texted and spoken on the phone but she’s so secretive with what she’s working on. I know she tends to hide her stuff until she thinks it looks good enough but I’ve always gotten sneak previews on her stuff. I just don’t understand what’s going on.” 

Yerim brought a finger to her chin and was deep in thought for a brief moment. An idea quickly formed in her head. 

“You think she’s working on a present for you?” 

“A present?” 

“Yeah, since you gave her such a nice drawing. Maybe she’s working on something for you too.” 

Hyunjin hadn’t thought of that and it made her hopeful. 

“I...that would be really nice of her.” 

Yerim playfully shoved her best friend, “Oh come on, you’d love that so much. A present from Heejin….your cute girlfriend.”    
  
Hyunjin blushed and whined loudly, “Oh come on Yerim, don’t say it like that. It’s embarrassing.” 

Yerim giggled and reached out to hold Hyunjin’s hand, “Oh come on unnie, I’m only messing with you. But tell me, when are you going to kiss her?” 

Yerim expected Hyunjin to get mad but she didn’t. She looked genuinely sad and upset. 

“Two times we tried and two times we got interrupted. Those annoying girls and then Haseul.” 

Yerim nodded her head, “Yeah Haseul mentioned that to me. She felt really bad. And then Kahei scolded her for interrupting you both.” 

Hyunjin smirked, “Good. It’s nice when Haseul gets scolded and not one of us.” 

“Right. You should have seen her face!! Like a sad little puppy.” 

The girls giggled and Yerim squeezed Hyunjin’s hand gently, “Hey, let’s stop for some ice cream, my treat.”    
  
\-------   
  
“Um, Jiwoo unnie, I don’t know about this…” 

Jiwoo had pulled up to Heejin’s school in Sooyoung’s car. It was rare that Jiwoo drove even though she had gotten her license before Sooyoung. 

“What do you mean? Get in! Sooyoung is busy with practice so she sent me.” 

Heejin stood beside the car as Jiwoo looked at her with a bright smile. Upon seeing that Heejin was not budging, Jiwoo’s smile turned into a cheek puffing pout. 

“Are you scared of my driving?” 

Heejin nodded her head weakly, “...Yes.”    
  
Jiwoo exited the car and put her fists on her hips, “There’s no reason to! I’m an expert driver!” 

Jiwoo walked over to Heejin’s side and opened the passenger door and started to push her in. Heejin put up a fight but ultimately gave up and was pushed into the seat. Jiwoo cheered and skipped over to the driver’s side. Heejin already had her seatbelt on but she was visibly shaking. 

“What’s wrong Heekie? I already told you I’m an expert.” 

Heejin gulped, “N-nothing. Let’s just go…” 

Jiwoo shrugged and started up the engine. She floored it and Heejin gripped her seatbelt for dear life. As Jiwoo drove, she sang a random song. Heejin felt as if that would be the last song she’d ever hear in her life. Maybe it would play at her funeral. Maybe it would play as she ascended into heaven. 

_ “You attack my heart, you attack my heart!!”  _

Heejin thought the song was very fitting. Jiwoo began to squirm around in her seat in time with the song she was singing. Heejin closed her eyes. An image of a smiling Hyunjin appeared before her. At least that would be the last thing Heejin would see before they would inevitably crash. 

“Heekie!!! We’re here!” 

Jiwoo pulled up into her driveway and jumped out of the car. Heejin looked around. 

“Huh???” 

She glanced at her watch. The normally 15 minute drive took them 8 minutes. Heejin undid her seatbelt slowly, still unsure if they had actually made it to Jiwoo’s home. 

“Heekie! Hurry up! There’s a package at the door. I think it’s your materials to put the final touches on your project!! Let’s go, let’s go!” 

Jiwoo ran to the doorway and picked up the box. Heejin slowly opened the car door and stepped foot on the pavement. Her legs felt like jello but she was relieved to have her feet on something solid. She immediately took out her phone and sent a text to Hyunjin. 

_ Heejin: “I miss you so much.” _ __   
  
Heejin sighed and walked into Jiwoo’s home. Jiwoo had already placed the box on her dining table and had a box cutter in hand. She started waving it around. 

“Open it, open it!” 

Heejin put her hands up in defense, “Unnie, please don’t wave the box cutter around.” 

Heejin dropped her book bag on one of the chairs and took the box cutter from Jiwoo’s hand. She cut open the box and began to take out the things inside. Jiwoo watched, mouth forming an O. She always had a fun time looking at Heejin’s art supplies. She had no artistic talent herself but she thought the supplies looked really pretty. 

Heejin pulled out various paints and some orange wool. Jiwoo looked at it. 

“What’s that for?” 

Heejin felt the material. It was perfect. Soft and fuzzy. 

“I needed a darker shade to add some detailing to the mascot head.” 

“Oooh, are you almost done with it? I’ve been so tempted to look at it. But Heekie said not to so I’ve held myself back.” 

Heejin laughed and patted Jiwoo’s head, “Thanks unnie. I can show you now though.” 

Jiwoo jumped up and down, “Oh, I’m so excited!!” 

The girls went to Jiwoo’s garage and Heejin took the canvas drape off of the mascot head. Jiwoo’s eyes widened. It was an orange cat head with big green eyes. Jiwoo screamed. 

“Heejin that looks amazing!! How did you make that?! Can I touch it?”    
“Sure!”

Heejin beamed with pride. This was the first time she had attempted something like it. She was used to drawing and painting but never took on any kind of crafting. She explained how she had looked up many tutorials on how to make mascot heads and tutorials on how to sew. 

“Heejin, you are seriously so talented. You learned how to do this all through tutorials and this is your first try. You are a genius and very obviously in love.” 

Heejin’s face turned beet red, “Unnie…” 

Jiwoo shook her head, “I’m serious!! I can tell you put so much time and love into this. Hyunjin is going to go crazy. She’s going to ask for your hand in marriage!” 

Heejin covered her face with her hands and mumbled, “But unnie we are only third years in high school…” 

“That doesn’t matter. It’s going to happen.” 

Heejin sighed but chuckled a little, “Ok unnie, I’m sure you will give us your blessings.” 

Jiwoo clasped her hands together, “Of course! I will be the priest too.” 

Heejin smiled. Jiwoo always made her laugh and feel better about any situation. 

“Jiwoo unnie, thank you for letting me use your garage. I was worried about keeping this at home since I never knew when I might have Hyunjin over.” 

Jiwoo placed a hand on her hip and put a finger to her chin, “She never visited you?” 

“No. We always just went to her house since it’s closer to school. It was fun though. Her mom is really nice and would often make us all snacks and dinner. Then Haseul and Kahei would drive me home.” 

“That’s really nice of them...wait, her mom made you snacks and dinner? Was it good?” 

“Yeah, really delicious stuff.” 

Jiwoo grabbed Heejin by the shoulders, “Heekie, you have to get me in there. I want to try her food too.” 

Heejin laughed but then looked a little sad, “Well...I really want you to meet Hyunjin...but you know…” 

“Ah...is she not willing to try and make amends with Sooyoung?”    
  
“She said she would but after the game. I really want them to get along. I want everyone to be friends and get along.” 

“Awww Heekie!!” Jiwoo grabbed Heejin and hugged her tightly, pressing their cheeks together, “You are so sweet. I think everything will work out fine. Let’s hope Hyunjin kicks Sooyoung’s ass during the game. It will make it easier for her to get along with her.”    
  
“You aren’t going to cheer for her?” 

Jiwoo giggled, “Heejin, her team is going to lose. They are a mess. Jungeun and Jinsoul tried their best but the girls just don’t care anymore. I mean, they will try but I know it won’t be enough. And from what you’ve told me, Hyunjin’s team is out for blood.” 

Heejin nodded. She often spoke about how Hyunjin was a great team captain and very supportive of all her team members. As much as she hated socializing she would always attend any extra activities her team members were a part of. Two of her team members were part of a band and Hyunjin would often show up to their performances and bring them flowers. Hyunjin hated noise but she wanted to show her support. 

Ever since Hyunjin was injured, her team had vowed that they would attempt to win the championship. It was also Haseul’s last year on the team and they wanted the win for her as well. The team had become quite skilled throughout the year and they were a major force to be reckoned with. 

“Heekie, let’s move all this stuff inside. We can put a tarp on the table so you can work more easily. I’ll help you with whatever you need. Let’s get this done before Sooyoung shows up from practice and throws all her stuff all over the place. You know how messy she is.” 

“Oh god yeah. Let’s go.” 

Heejin carried the mascot head into the house while Jiwoo looked around for the tarp. They set up the table and Heejin began to instruct Jiwoo on what she needed her to do. Jiwoo happily obliged and began to cut out what was needed. The girls worked on the mascot head diligently, chatting and giggling every once in a while but keeping their focus. Jiwoo could see how determined Heejin was and it brought a certain warmth to her heart. She knew that Heejin had been crushing on Hyunjin since before they actually met. It probably felt like she was living in a fairytale. 

The girls were just about done when they heard the door opening. Sooyoung, Jinsoul and Jungeun walked in looking tired. 

“Sooyoungie!!” 

Jiwoo launched herself from her seat and into Sooyoung’s arms. Sooyoung laughed, “Aw babe, I’m sweaty and gross.” 

Jiwoo buried her head in Sooyoung’s neck and mumbled, “I don’t care.” 

Sooyoung stroked her hair and placed a kiss on her temple, “I gotta shower my love.” 

Jiwoo groaned but let her girlfriend go, “Hurry up. JInsoul and Jungeun, you can use the other bathroom. But no funny business. I won’t allow that in my household.” 

Jungeun blushed but Jinsoul put her arm around her shoulders, “I can’t make any promises, Jiwoo.” 

Jungeun’s eyes widened and she punched Jinsoul’s side and screamed, “Don’t say that!!!” 

Jinsoul rubbed her side and pouted, “You didn’t have to hit me. Now I’m going to have a bruise.” 

“Well, you didn’t have to say perverted things.” 

Jungeun grabbed her bag and marched to the bathroom. The rest of the girls turned to Jinsoul, who only shrugged, “I wasn’t gonna try shit anyway. She’s so overdramatic.” 

Jinsoul grabbed her bag and followed behind her girlfriend. The girls heard another scream and then some giggling. Jiwoo narrowed her eyes, “I swear if they start any funny business…” 

She began to stomp to the bathroom but Sooyoung stopped her, “Babe, they won’t do anything. We are all really exhausted. Can you just order some takeout? I’m not up to cooking today.” 

Jiwoo stopped and looked at her girlfriend who looked really tired. She felt her heart sink, “Oh my baby, ok. Go go, hurry and shower. I’ll order some food and get your clothes and everything ready. Just go stand under the shower and relax your bones.” 

“Oh no, Jiwoo, I can get my own clothes, it’s ok.” 

Jiwoo began to push her girlfriend, “Nope, I’ll take care of it. Just go shower.”    
  
Sooyoung smiled and placed a kiss on Jiwoo’s cheek, “Thank you babe.” 

Sooyoung went off to the bathroom and Jiwoo turned to Heejin, who was putting the final touches to her cat head. 

“Heekie, I’m going to order some takeout. Will you be staying?” 

“No, it’s ok unnie. I’m going to go home after this. Mom made some good stuff.” 

Jiwoo stopped in her tracks, “Yeah? Maybe we should all head over there then…just kidding.”   
  
Heejin giggled, “Sorry unnie. Mom probably didn’t make enough anyway.” 

“It’s alright. Also you can leave the cat head in the garage. I know you won’t be able to haul it around. Jinsoul and Jungeun are staying the night and said they would take the cat head in their car for you tomorrow. Sooyoungie’s car is too dirty.” 

Heejin shuddered at the thought. The backseat of Sooyoung’s car was a mess. She always needed to push away various soda cups and chip bags. Why was she so messy? 

“Tell them thanks. I’m going to start putting things away and then I’ll head out. Thanks for helping me unnie. I owe you one.” 

“You don’t owe me a thing. I just want to see you happy.” 

Jiwoo embraced Heejin and patted her back, “You are my best friend and I only want the best for you, ok?”

“Thank you unnie.” 

The girls parted and Jiwoo said, “I’ll see you tomorrow Heekie. I’m going to go get clothes for Sooyoung and then ask what she wants to order. Just lock the door behind you. “ 

“OK unnie, see ya.” 

Heejin began to gather her things as Jiwoo walked off to the bedroom she shared with Sooyoung. Heejin took the cat head back to the garage and tried it on. It fit perfectly and she could see well enough. It was probably going to be a bit stuffy but she was willing to put up with it for Hyunjin. She got excited just thinking what kind of reaction Hyunjin was going to have. Speaking of which, she checked her messages and saw that Hyunjin had replied to her. 

_ Hyunjin: “I miss you so much too. I haven’t seen you since Saturday and I’m suffering over here.” _

Heejin frowned. She felt so bad that she hadn’t seen Hyunjin. She was so busy and because they didn’t have any classes together she didn't even get to see her during school. All three days Sooyoung had driven her and Jiwoo to school late so she couldn't even see Hyunjin before class. Heejin quickly responded. 

_ Heejin: “I’m sorry. Are you up for talking in a little bit? I’m heading home now.” _

Hyunjin answered almost immediately. 

_ Hyunjin: “Are you still at school??”  _

_ Heejin: “No, no. I’m at Jiwoo’s house. She let me work on my project in her garage.”  _

_ Hyunjin: “Oh..ok. I’m ready whenever. I’m just here in my room relaxing with Yerim.”  _

_ Heejin: “I’ll message you in an hour, ok?”  _

_ Hyunjin: “Ok :3”  _

Heejin smiled to herself and quickly covered the cat head. She went back to the dining room and grabbed all of her things and folded up the tarp that Jiwoo had laid out. She wasn’t sure where Jiwoo had gotten it from so she just left it on the corner of the table. She sprinted out the door, making sure to lock it behind her. She wanted to get home and shower and eat dinner and then she would give all her attention to her girlfriend. 

Heejin bit her lip as she entered her room. Hyunjin was really her girlfriend now. But they hadn’t even kissed yet. Heejin thought back on the two times it almost happened. Maybe she was being a bit greedy but she felt a little upset that she hadn’t had the chance to see her. She even felt a bit jealous that Hyunjin was just relaxing with Yerim. She wished she was in Yerim’s place at that moment. 

“Heejin, honey, dinner is ready whenever you want to eat!” 

“Thanks mom!”    


Heejin hopped into the shower and finished in less than ten minutes. She ran to the kitchen and served herself some food and sat at the dining room table. Her mother watched her. 

“Heejin honey, why are you so rushed? Eat your food like a normal person.” 

Heejin was in the middle of stuffing her face but she ignored her mother. She just wanted to go back into her room and talk to Hyunjin. She cleared her plate, washed it and thanked her mother. 

“Heejin sweetie, did you finish your project?” 

“Yes, mom. I’ll show you tomorrow.” Heejin ran to her room before her mother could continue to speak. 

She threw herself on her bed and took out her phone. 

_ Heejin:”Hyunjin!! I’m free now. Are you?”  _ _   
_ _ Hyunjin: “Yes. What are you doing?”  _

Heejin smiled from ear to ear. It’s not like they had never talked like this before. But now they were girlfriends and it felt even more special. They chatted for a while, trying to catch up on the few days they hadn’t seen each other. Nothing special had happened but they couldn’t stop talking. Heejin looked at the time. It was ten and they still had school tomorrow. And it was game day so Hyunjin needed rest. Heejin was about to say goodnight but Hyunjin seemed to have the same thought as she did. 

_ Hyunjin: “Hey babe, it’s getting a bit late. Yerim already fell asleep here and my eyes are closing too. I need to rest up.” _

Heejin stared at the word “babe”. She let out a squeal. She was Hyunjin’s babe. Hyunjin sent another message. 

_ Hyunjin: “Um….do you think we can go on video call really quickly? I haven’t seen your beautiful face and it’s killing me.”  _

Heejin blushed but quickly went to look at herself in her mirror. Her hair was ok. She looked a little tired but she felt confident enough to get on camera. 

Heejin didn’t bother answering. She just hit the video call button and patiently waited. Hyunjin answered after the 3rd ring. She was smiling and Heejin felt herself melting. Hyunjin looked even more beautiful than usual. She had her hair up in a ponytail and she was wearing a tank top. Heejin felt herself drooling at how toned her arms looked.   
  
“Hey babe. I can’t speak too loudly. Yerim is right next to me.” 

Hyunjin pointed the phone at Yerim’s sleeping face.

“Should I pinch her nose and stop her breathing?” 

Heejin whispered, “No….leave her alone. Let her sleep. You need her for tomorrow.” 

Hyunjin giggled but covered her mouth. 

“Heejin, you are going to be cheering for me, right?” 

“Yes, of course. I won’t miss this game.” 

Hyunjin grinned and Heejin fell even more in love. How did she look so beautiful just sitting there?

“You are my strength for tomorrow so I can kick Sooyoung’s ass.” 

Heejin bit her lip, “Am I really?” 

“Yup, so I hope you are there, front and center. I can’t see you in the morning, unfortunately. The school is being nice and letting us take the day off so we can get to the game in top condition.”

Heejin couldn’t hide the disappointment in her face and Hyunjin caught it. 

“I’m sorry Heej, but I promise that I’ll take you somewhere over the weekend.” 

“Okie…” 

Hyunjin huffed, “Oh Heejin, you are so cute.” 

“No, you are cuter, Hyunjin. So cute and beautiful.” 

There was a loud groan and Yerim sat up and looked into the phone. 

“Can you two shut up and go to sleep already? You are making me sick with your flirting.” 

Heejin blushed but couldn’t control her giggling. Yerim had really laid there and listened to them. 

“Sorry Yerim, but it’s kind of rude to listen to others conversations don’t you think?” 

Hyunjin’s mouth formed an O and Yerim glared at the phone. 

“Heejin, I will fight you.” 

It was then that Heejin realized that Yerim could actually get “angry”. The problem was that Heejin found it hilarious. 

“You will have to fight Hyunjin first, she will protect me. Right, baby?”

Hyunjin blushed but immediately answered, “Yes.” 

Yerim glared at Hyunjin, “Traitor. Now wrap it up!! I’m tired and you need to go to sleep. You guys can see each other tomorrow after the game!!” 

Yerim threw herself back and covered her head with the blanket. She poked her head out once to grab a random plush and pulled it under with her. Hyunjin patted the top of where Yerim’s head was under the blanket and looked back into her phone and giggled. 

“Alright babe, I guess she’s right. I’ll see you tomorrow, Heejin. Goodnight.” 

“Ok, get plenty of rest. Sweet dreams.” 

They both waved at each other before ending the call. Heejin brought the phone up to her chest and hugged it. She couldn't wait to see Hyunjin’s face when she showed up at the game. 

Hyunjin on the other hand felt her heart beating fast. She was nervous about the game. Not because she thought they would lose but because Heejin would be there. She wanted to do well and impress her. 

“Hyunjin?” 

“Yeah? Sorry for waking you.” 

“It’s ok. I was only messing with you both. You two are so cute together.” 

“Thanks, Yerim.” 

Yerim popped her head out from under the covers. 

“I can hear it in your voice that you are nervous. Don’t be. Heejin is going to be so impressed no matter what happens. But you know we are going to win, right?” 

“Of course.” 

“Good, now sleep. We still need to get up early so we can run some drills with the team before the game.” 

“Right. Goodnight Yerim.” 

“Goodnight unnie.” 

\-------   
  
“How are you girls feeling?” 

Hyunjin stood before her team. Their game was going to start in an hour. Hyunjin could see the other team in the distance and she had no doubt that they were going to win. Although she worried about Jinsoul and Jungeun, she knew those two would not be able to carry that team. Hyunjin was confident that each of her team members had been trained to the best of their abilities. 

“We are ready to kick ass!!” 

The girls all put their hands in a circle and cheered. Hyunjin looked at her team like a proud mother. 

“Make sure to stretch but you are free to hang around until we start. I’m proud of all of you. Don’t forget that.” 

The girls scattered around the field and Hyunjin proceeded to look over some formation papers she had been studying. She knew them by heart but it still helped to look at them from time to time. 

“Unnie!!” 

Hyunjin looked towards the bleachers and saw Hyejoo and Chaewon waving at her. Hyunjin smiled brightly and ran to them. She hadn’t seen them in weeks. 

“Girls! I haven’t seen you in forever.” 

Hyejoo rubbed the back of her head, “Sorry unnie. Chaewon and I have just been busy.” 

Hyunjin raised a brow. She knew they were being lovey dovey and just doing coupley things. 

“Yeah? So what broke you out of your “busy” schedule?” 

Chaewon answered, “Sooyoung unnie scolded us and told us to stop being shut ins and playing games.” 

Hyunjin examined them both closely “You both do look very pale. You need some sun.” 

The girls blushed. 

“Either way, I’m happy to see you both here as I crush your unnie and kick your team out of the league.” 

Hyejoo shrugged, “We don’t care. We aren’t into sports and we already know Sooyoung sucks.” 

Chaewon tugged on Hyejoo’s shirt, “You can’t say that. She’s going to kick our butts!” 

“Whatever, she won’t do shit. I’ll poison her food.” 

Hyunjin raised a brow. She never heard Hyejoo speak like that about her unnies. But then again, Hyunjin never even knew they were friends with Sooyoung. 

Hyejoo sensed Hyunjin’s confusion, “You have every right to hate Sooyoung.” 

Chaewon covered the taller girl’s mouth, “She doesn’t mean that. We are all friends. They just fight and argue a lot. Hyejoo, stop being so mean so Sooyoung unnie.” 

“She won’t do a thing.” 

Chaewon groaned and clung on Hyejoo’s arm, “Please Hyejoo?” She gave her taller girlfriend the most precious puppy dog eyes and Hyejoo instantly felt bad. She cupped the shorter girl’s cheeks, “Ok, ok. I won’t.” 

Hyejoo looked back at Hyunjin, who just stood awkwardly in place. 

“We gotta go to the other side, unnie. People will get mad at us if we sit here to cheer for you. And I guess I don’t want to make Jinsoul unnie and Jungeun unnie sad.” 

Chaewon quickly interjected, “Sooyoung unnie too.” 

Hyejoo shrugged, “Her too, I guess. See you later unnie.” 

Hyejoo took Chaewon’s hand in hers and they walked off. Chaewon looked back and cutely waved goodbye to Hyunjin.

Hyunjin couldn’t help but smile. She had really missed those two but it also made her laugh at the type of relationship Hyejoo had with Sooyoung. While she didn’t want to admit it, she was curious about what would happen after the game.    
  
The stands started to become full of people and Hyunjin began to look around for Heejin. She still hadn’t shown up. She looked at the time. The game was set to begin in 15 minutes. Where could Heejin be? 

“Hyunjin!” 

Yerim approached her friend and put her arm around her shoulders, “You ready Hyunjin? We need to start lining up soon so we can greet the other players.” 

“Oh...uh yeah.” 

Yerim noticed that Hyunjin looked a little distraught, “What’s wrong Hyunjin, you ok?” 

“I don’t see Heejin.” 

Yerim looked into the crowd and Heejin was nowhere to be seen. Yerim frowned. 

“Maybe she’s on her way. She might have gotten stopped by a teacher for something.” 

Hyunjin shrugged, “I don’t think so. All the teachers are here….everyone is here.” 

Yerim patted her best friend’s shoulder, “Don’t worry. She will be here. She said she would. Don’t lose hope.” 

“Alright…..then let’s line up.” 

The two girls walked towards the lineup and saw that the team was already there. Hyunjin went to the back with Yerim in front of her. Haseul was already there waiting. She seemed preoccupied with the cheerleaders not too far away. Hyunjin gave her older friend a gentle shove. 

“Hey, you better pay attention to the game and not to Kahei. She does look really cute but don’t fuck shit up.”    
  
Haseul faked being offended, “I am not looking at my really cute girlfriend with her short skirt. I would never. I’m fully committed to the game.” 

Hyunjin glared at her, “You better be or I swear I’ll never forgive you.” 

Yerim stood between them, “Alright alright, don’t get your blood pressure up. More focus on the game. We are about to start.” 

The announcer came on and began to announce the teams competing. Hyunjin didn’t really pay attention. She kept looking into the crowd hoping to spot Heejin. She was starting to feel really hopeless.    
  
The line started to move and Hyunjin was polite with the opposing team’s members. She reached Jungeun who smiled and gave her a firm shake of the hand. Jinsoul was next and she shook her hand and got close to her ear, “I’m looking forward to this game.” 

Hyunjin raised a brow but saw that Jinsoul was smiling warmly at her. There was nothing negative or confrontational in her words. Hyunjin answered her, “Me too. Let’s do our best.” 

Jinsoul seemed happy with her response and kept moving. The next person in line was Sooyoung. Hyunjin felt herself get tense. Sooyoung held out her hand and Hyunjin firmly grasped it. They stared at each other for a good minute while still holding hands. Sooyoung broke the silence, “Good luck. I hope we can talk after this no matter what happens.” 

Hyunjin felt herself let go of some of the resentment and anger she felt towards the taller girl.

“I’m up for talking. Good luck.”    
  
Sooyoung smiled and Hyunjin let herself smile back just a little. The referee stood between them and flipped a coin. Hyunjin picked tails. The coin landed and sure enough it was tails. Hyunjin felt luck was on her side and she proceeded to jog over to the goalie post. As she jogged she looked towards the stands. It was then that she spotted a cat head at the front of the crowd. The person was waving. Hyunjin stared...was that Heejin? 

The person began to make hearts with her hands and Hyunjin just knew it was Heejin. She felt her heart swell with happiness. Was that the project she had been working on? Hyunjin waved back and made finger hearts at Heejin. Hyunjin felt a surge of adrenaline running through her body and she was ready to start the game. She got into position and looked back into the crowd one last time. Heejin was holding a banner. 

_ “Kim Hyunjin, I love you!”  _ __   
  
Hyunjin’s eyes welled up with tears but she wiped them away. Now wasn’t the time to get sentimental. But Heejin was very present in Hyunjin’s mind. She felt like she could do anything.    
  
The game started and Hyunjin’s team were complete monsters. Yerim and Haseul led the offensive and within 20 minutes Yerim had already scored a goal. The girls didn’t seem to be losing any energy. Hyunjin had helped bring up their endurance through rigorous training but it had paid off. Their defense was strong but Jinsoul was very good. She weaved through the team members and twice had gotten close to getting a goal. Hyunjin had stopped her each time.    
  
Jungeun managed to break through their defense as well and Hyunjin barely missed the ball. She managed to block it but it was a close call. She knew the two girls would be her toughest challenge. 

Half time came and both teams went to take a break. Hyunjin drank her energy drink and looked back into the crowd. Heejin was waving at her. Hyunjin cracked a smile but she worried that Heejin might be too hot in the mascot head. She really wanted to talk to her but there was no way she could reach her and she wasn’t allowed to. 

“Unnie! We only have the second half left. I think we got this. Jinsoul and Jungeun look really tired.” 

Hyunjin looked across the field and saw the two girls sitting down and hunched over. They were absolutely carrying the team. 

“Don’t get too cocky, Yerim. They could be bluffing. Let’s not lose focus,” Hyunjin looked at the rest of her team “Right girls?” 

“Right!”   
  
The girl’s cheerleading team was in full force, doing their routines and bringing up the crowd’s spirit. Haseul watched Kahei longingly. Hyunjin wanted to tease her but decided against it. It really seemed like Haseul was proud of her girlfriend. 

The second half of the game began and this time Sooyoung’s team started off. Things got more intense as it seemed that the team had found some renewed spirit. They broke through Hyunjin’s team’s defense a few times and Jinsoul managed to score a goal. Hyunjin wasn’t even mad. She wanted a good game. But now she was relying heavily on Yerim and Haseul to score a goal. Hyunjin’s wish was granted. Haseul weaved her way around the opposing team’s defense and scored a goal. The crowd went absolutely wild. Hyunjin’s team was leading by a point and there were 20 minutes left in the game. 

Hyunjin knew they just needed to hold out until the whistle was blown. There was a lot of back and forth but with five minutes left, Sooyoung broke through the defense and was running as fast as she could to get a goal. Hyunjin had a brief flashback to when she was injured but she got over it and blocked Sooyoung from scoring. Hyunjin threw the ball back into the field and it landed near Yerim. Yerim desperately wanted to score another goal and ran as fast as she could. She avoided several players and kicked another ball in through the net. They were now leading by two points. 

Sooyoung’s team made quite the effort to score another goal but it wasn’t good enough. The whistle was blown and the game came to an end. Hyunjin’s team all came together and jumped with joy. The crowd roared loudly and went crazy. The winning team hugged each other and confetti was being thrown around them. If everyone was this happy now, Hyunjin couldn’t even imagine how it would be when they won the championship. Her next target was Yoohyeon and she was going to annihilate her team. 

“Hyunjin!!”   
  
Hyunjin looked around and saw Heejin standing in the crowd. She was holding onto her cat head and struggling to make her way through the sea of people. Hyunjin made her way through the crowd and finally reached her girlfriend. She was so happy to see her that she grabbed the cat head and gave it a kiss on the “lips”. 

“I almost thought you weren’t coming, Heejin. I got so worried and sad.”    
  
Heejin didn’t say anything but proceeded to remove the cat head.    


“I thought something had happened or maybe that you decided not to come and---” 

Heejin stopped Hyunjin by placing a finger to her lips. 

“I want a real kiss.”    
  
She didn’t even let Hyunjin speak before she pulled her in by the neck and placed a kiss on her lips. It was brief and Heejin pulled away, blushing. But Hyunjin was not having that. She pulled her back in for another kiss that lasted longer. They both felt like they were up in the clouds. They parted for air but remained close. Hyunjin pressed her forehead against Heejin’s.    
  
“That was my first kiss, Heejin.”    
“Mine too and I’m glad it was with you.”    
  
The girls giggled and kissed one more time before breaking away once again. Hyunjin looked down at the cat head and picked it up. 

“So is this what you were working on?” 

“Yes. Do you like it?” 

“I love it. Thank you so much. This means so much to me. Can I keep it?”    
“Of course. It’s for you but I’m going to wear it at your final game as well. And all of next year. I’ll cheer for you forever.”    
  
Hyunjin stared into Heejin’s eyes, “Hey...I love you.” 


	19. Becoming Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's one more chapter after this. Thanks to everyone still reading!

“I know it hasn’t even been a long time but I miss being here at your home, Hyunjin.”    
  
Heejin was leaning against the kitchen counter as Hyunjin was serving herself a glass of juice. The rest of the girls were sitting at the dining table, eating junk and just happily chatting away. They had all gone as a team to get some dinner as celebration and then the usual girls had gone to Hyunjin’s home.    
  
Hyunjin flashed Heejin a wide smile, “I missed having you here. It just didn’t feel right not having you here.” 

Heejin smiled mischievously, “So you really missed me huh? What were you going to do without me around?” 

Without missing a beat, Hyunjin answered, “Probably be sad forever.”    
  
Heejin stepped closer to Hyunjin and pinched her cheek, “But I’m here now, so you don’t have to be sad.” 

Hyunjin leaned into Heejin’s touch and placed her hand over Heejin’s smaller one, “Yes, I’m very happy.” 

Heejin gulped, she really wanted to kiss Hyunjin again but didn’t want to risk one of the girls coming in. It’s not like them being together was a secret but the teasing was going to be too much. 

“Hyunjin? Show me your art project. It’s due tomorrow, right?” 

“Ah yeah! I completely forgot about that. I did add a few finishing touches over the weekend. Let’s go to my room.”    
  
The girls walked quietly to Hyunjin’s room, trying not to alert the other girls. They were busy being loud. It sounded like Yerim was cheering for Yeojin, who was playing on her nintendo switch.    
  
“It’s a shame Hyejoo and Chaewon aren’t here. I’m sure they would rip apart Yeojin. I don’t think they’ve ever faced each other on the switch.”    
  


Heejin was silent for a moment before answering, “You should invite them over this weekend…..maybe….you can talk to Sooyoung too…” 

Hyunjin paused her search for her art project and Heejin was quick to notice. 

“Or not….” 

Hyunjin looked back at Heejin and saw how she disappointed she looked.    
  


“Alright, Heejin. You think you are all going to be free this weekend? I don’t mind setting up something. We can hang out in the backyard or the garage. Or wherever. Invite all your friends. I’m willing to make peace with Sooyoung.”    
  


Heejin’s face lit up, “Really? You mean it? Jinsoul and Jungeun too?”

Hyunjin chuckled, “Sure, I will ask mom to bake some stuff and I’ll order the usual pizza and we can have a nice little party.” 

Heejin launched herself at Hyunjin and hugged her tightly, “You don’t know how happy this makes me! 

Hyunjin hugged her back and stroked her hair gently, “Well...you make me happy so I thought I’d return the favor.” 

Heejin pushed her away jokingly, “Oh you are so cheesy sometimes.  I should text Sooyoung now and see if she can gather the girls and ask what their plans are.” 

Heejin sat on Hyunjin’s bed and began to type away on her phone. Hyunjin shook her head while smiling and pulled out her art project and sat next to Heejin. Hyunjin looked over her work and felt quite proud of herself. Heejin looked over once she was done texting. 

“Wow Hyunjin, it looks so nice. You should really work on some more art even after you are done with this class. I think you’ll make some really beautiful things.” 

“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to top that drawing I did of you. Too beautiful.” 

Hyunjin winked at Heejin, who felt her heartbeat speed up. Hyunjin was definitely a lot more mushy and Heejin was enjoying it.    
  
Hyunjin walked over to the mascot head that had been placed on her desk. 

“I still can’t believe you made this for me, Heejin. It’s so cool. How long did it take you?” 

“I’ve been working on it for a little. I just looked up a ton of tutorials before I got started on it.” 

Hyunjin patted the mascots head, “Thank you, Heejin. It’s such a nice present….” Hyunjin sat down very close to Heejin, “But that kiss was a really nice present too.” 

Heejin covered her face with her hands in embarrassment. She had a flashback to earlier when they were standing in the crowd. Hyunjin’s lips were soft and she kissed her so tenderly. 

“Ahhh...I’m embarrassed.” 

Hyunjin moved in closer, “No need to be embarrassed but...I would like another if that’s ok.” 

Hyunjin moved Heejin’s hands away from her face and tucked away some hair that was out of place. She stroked Heejin’s cheek gently. Her soft skin felt hot against her thumb. Hyunjin closed the gap between them and pressed her lips against Heejin’s. There was something different about their kiss this time. They both seemed to be a lot more shy about it. They kissed slowly and gently, just taking in each other’s presence. 

Heejin felt dizzy but she wanted more. She wrapped her arms around Hyunjin’s neck and pulled her closer to deepen their kiss. They were both sloppy but it was ok because they were both still learning. And both of them were happy knowing they’d learn with each other.    
  
They pulled away and just stared into each other’s eyes. Hyunjin smiled brightly and said, “I’m really lucky I have you Heejin.” 

“No, I think I’m the lucky one.” 

The girls giggled and went in for another kiss but they heard screaming. 

“Hyunjin, Heejin stop making out and come join us!!!” Yerim was the one screaming. 

Hyunjin yelled back at her, “Shut up Choi Yerim, I’m going to kick your ass!!” 

“You can’t do that because you need me for next week’s final game!!” 

Hyunjin rolled her eyes and stood up. She extended her hand towards Heejin, “Unfortunately I can’t kick her ass but we probably should go hang with the others. I just know they are eating all the chips and cookies damn it!”     
  
“But Hyunjin, am I not sweet enough for you?” 

Heejin winked and Hyunjin laughed, “Jeon Heejin, I’m going to kick your ass too!” 

Heejin dodged Hyunjin’s arms and ran out of the room. Hyunjin followed behind her, laughing loudly.    
  
\----------   
  
“I’m a little nervous….” 

Hyunjin was setting up plates and cups but she couldn’t help the anxiety that was making a knot form in her stomach. Heejin put a hand on her shoulder to console her. 

“Baby, it’s ok. It’s only my friends. I promise you that nothing bad will happen. And Hyejoo and Chaewon are going to be here and I know you miss them a lot.” 

It was true. Hyunjin really missed the other girls a lot. She was happy to hang out with them again. 

“I guess….” 

Heejin placed her hands on Hyunjin’s cheeks, “It will be fine, ok?” 

“...Ok, but only because you say so.” 

Heejin gave Hyunjin’s lips a quick peck and continued decorating the backyard. Hyunjin loved the fact that they could now kiss whenever they wanted to. 

“Ugh, get a room!” Yerim had been watching them and witnessed the peck. 

“Shut up Yerim, Gahyeon is coming isn’t she?” 

Yerim almost dropped what she had in her hands, which was a 12 pack of soda. 

“Shut up Hyunjin. Don’t start.” 

Hyunjin smirked, “How come? You embarrassed?” 

Yerim narrowed her eyes and set down the sodas, “I’m not embarrassed. I wanted her to come so you could properly thank her for helping us get the info we needed.” 

Hyunjin answered, “Sure, and I will do that but you also wanted her here. It’s ok Yerim, I won’t tease you.”    
  
Yerim began to grumble and Heejin elbowed Hyunjin, “Be nice!” 

Hyunjin rubbed her side, “How are you so strong? I don’t get it!” 

“Girls we have guests arriving!” 

Haseul yelled from the backyard door and then retreated back inside to welcome the girls. Heejin, Hyunjin and Yerim all scrambled to finish setting up. There was an assortment of cookies, chips, cupcakes (that Hyunjin’s mother had baked) drinks and small side dishes. And of course about 6 boxes of pizza. 

Hyejoo and Chaewon popped their heads through the door first and Hyunjin couldn’t contain the smile forming on her lips. She sprinted forward and gave the girls a tight hug. 

Hyejoo was shocked, “Unnie! Why are you hugging us so tightly?” 

Chaewon’s voice was muffled, “Wahhhhh”    
  
Hyunjin patted both of their heads, “Just missed you both is all. Accept my love or else.”    
  
Hyejoo hesitated but gave Hyunjin another hug. Chaewon, not wanting to be left out, wrapped her arms around them both. She struggled however, as her arms were too short.    
  
“Woah, Hyejoo being nice? I’m not used to seeing this.”    
  
Jungeun walked into the yard with Jinsoul in tow behind her.   
  


“Hyunjin unnie is my favorite so I’ll accept hugs from her.” 

Jungeun was about ready to start arguing but Jinsoul stopped her. She reached a hand out towards Hyunjin, who shook it. But Jinsoul had other ideas. She hugged the younger girl. 

“Thanks for having us over. I’ve admired you for the longest time but never had the courage to approach you properly so I’m glad to be here.”    
  
Hyunjin froze, not being used to getting hugs from strangers but Jinsoul felt warm and inviting. 

“Uhh...thanks? I hope we get to know each other better.” 

Jinsoul didn’t let go and her hug got tighter. Hyunjin giggled nervously and looked at Jungeun who rolled her eyes. She pulled Jinsoul off of Hyunjin. 

“Sorry Hyunjin, Jinsoul can get very soft and affectionate sometimes. You will have to get used to it. She considers everyone her baby so expect a lot of random hugs. Anyway, thanks for having us over. It’s nice to finally get to meet you properly.” 

Jungeun winked at Hyunjin and pulled Jinsoul with her to the snack table. Jinsoul let out a whine but followed her girlfriend and quickly became distracted with the assortment of food at the table. 

  
“Unnie, here, have two plates!”   
  
Yeojin was helping with serving food. Hyunjin thought it was nice how the younger girl easily got along with new people and was always willing to help her older friends with even the smallest tasks.   
  


Hyunjin entered her home and saw two more girls inside. Sooyoung and Jiwoo. At least Hyunjin assumed it was Jiwoo. She had never really met her. She only knew her name because of Heejin. The two girls were talking to Haseul and Kahei. It was a bit strange since Hyunjin knew Kahei and Sooyoung had history together. But they all seemed to be chatting normally. 

Jiwoo was the first one to spot Hyunjin at the door. She smiled widely and skipped over to Hyunjin. She grabbed her hand with both of hers and shook it happily. 

“I’m Kim Jiwoo!! It’s nice to finally meet you, Hyunjin. Heekie has told me so many nice things about you. I mean she really never shuts up about you and I can see why! You are so pretty and cute! And your muscles too, woahhhh. Heekie wasn’t kidding around!” 

Hyunjin laughed. Did Heejin really talk about her that much? 

“It’s nice to meet you too. And thanks for all the nice compliments. I’m going to tease Heejin later with it. Please help yourself to anything you’d like! My mother baked some cupcakes.” 

Jiwoo’s eyes went wide, “Cupcakes!!!” She ran outside and Hyunjin could hear her scream happily. She had a lot of energy. Hyunjin figured she might need to invest in some ear plugs if Jiwoo was going to be coming over more often. 

“Ah...sorry about that. Jiwoo gets really excited about meeting new people and she’s just been looking forward to meeting you...as have I.”  

Sooyoung stood before Hyunjin. They stared at each other for a moment. 

“Hey...Haseul, Kahei, you mind leaving us alone to talk for a bit?” 

The two older girls agreed and began to walk towards the backyard door. Before exiting, Kahei gave Hyunjin’s shoulder a quick squeeze and smiled at her. 

Hyunjin felt some relief from the simple gesture. Kahei was very good at making her feel secure and safe. 

Once the girls were gone, Hyunjin pointed to the dining table, “Wanna sit and talk?” 

“Sure.” 

The girls sat down in a somewhat uncomfortable silence. Hyunjin wasn’t sure how to start. She began to fidget with the table cloth. Sooyoung could tell the younger girl was anxious and she decided to break the silence. 

“I think I should apologize to you. It was never my intention to injure you. Honestly, yes, I’m not really a great player and I’m too cocky. I play without any regard for others. I probably caused you a lot of physical and mental anguish and I’m really sorry about that. I hope you can forgive me.” 

Hyunjin was surprised. She never expected Sooyoung to be so soft spoken and eloquent with her words. 

“It’s alright. When I really think about it, it was probably good that all this happened. I’ve grown a lot from all this. I’ll be honest with you, I’ve never liked you.” 

Sooyoung visibly flinched from Hyunjin’s words but she wasn’t done. 

“I never liked you because I had this image of you in my head. I never thought you deserved to be the captain for your team. I’ve always thought you were a brute and didn’t respect the game of soccer….and when Yoohyeon came up with that rumor about you hurting me on purpose, it infuriated me. But I’ve been an asshole too. I shouldn’t have judged you without getting to know you. I’ve always been quick to judge people who don’t have the same morals and standards that I do. I know now that that’s wrong. I hope we can somehow get a fresh start and get to know each other better.”

Hyunjin extended her hand and Sooyoung took it. 

“I’m looking forward to being friends.” 

“Me too. Now let’s go out there before they eat all the food!” 

“Shit, you are right! I did order some fried chicken. It should be arriving soon. Do you like?” 

Hyunjin’s ears perked up, “Fried chicken? Of course. You sure are winning points with me, Sooyoung.” 

Sooyoung laughed and Hyunjin felt her heart grow warm.    
  
There was a knock on the door and Hyunjin looked at Sooyoung, “Could that be it?” 

Sooyoung shook her head, “I don’t think so. I ordered it as I was parking the car.” 

Hyunjin looked through the peephole and saw the top of a girl’s head. She opened the door and Gahyeon stood before her. 

“Oh, hey gahyeon! You are late as hell.” 

Gahyeon blushed and twiddled her thumbs, “Um...I woke up late.” 

“I’m not surprised. Well, come on in. Yerim is out in the backyard. I’m sure she will be happy you are here. Oh and...thanks a lot for helping me out. I hope Yoohyeon knows I’m going to destroy her in the final game.” 

“She does...and Minji knows as well. I think she wants to talk to you before the game, if that’s ok. She wants to apologize for Yoohyeon’s behavior.” 

Hyunjin shrugged, “I have no problem talking to Minji. Forward my number to her.” 

“No problem!” 

Gahyeon skipped off, greeting Sooyoung quickly but she really just wanted to go see Yerim. 

“Hey Sooyoung, mind helping me bring out some ice cream?” 

Sooyoung had been standing awkwardly off to the side, “Hm? Sure.” 

Hyunjin handed Sooyoung two buckets and then held one bucket herself. 

“How come I have to carry two?” 

“Because I am hosting this party and I say so.”    
  
The two girls stared at each other and then burst out laughing. They walked out into the backyard and chatted about nonsense. The rest of the girls watched them come into the yard with the buckets. They all stared, wanting to know what happened between them. Hyunjin rolled her eyes. 

“We get along, now stop staring and come get ice cream before it melts!”    
  
There was a loud cheer and Heejin ran towards Hyunjin. 

“So you two are really friends know? No more hate?”    
  
Hyunjin chuckled and patted Heejin’s head, “No more hate.”    
  


Heejin kissed Hyunjin’s cheek, unable to contain her excitement. She looked over at Sooyoung who was smiling and also very happy. 

“Sooyoungie!!!! Come here!!” 

Sooyoung gave Hyunjin’s shoulder a quick squeeze, “The misses is calling me. Thanks for setting this up.” 

Sooyoung walked off towards Jiwoo, who instantly clung onto her arm and offered her a cupcake. 

“They are so good Sooyoungie!!!” 

Hyunjin laughed, “I guess she doesn’t know what an inside voice is?” 

“That’s not even as loud as she can get.” 

The girls laughed and Heejin embraced her girlfriend. 

“I’m so happy Hyunjin.”    
  


“I am too. But I can’t fully celebrate yet. We have one more team to beat and I’m going to make sure to crush Yoohyeon.” 


	20. And it all ends here

“So how do you feel now that you’ve passed the course?” 

Heejin and Hyunjin were in the soccer player’s room just lounging around while the other girls fooled around in the living room. It was the day before the team’s final game and they were just relaxing. Hyunjin was sitting against her headboard watching soccer formations and Heejin was laying her head against her lap. 

“I feel a lot of relief. Mrs. Lee was really happy too. She didn’t want to fail me. She told me to make sure to thank you.” 

“...And?” 

“What?” 

“Aren’t you going to thank me?” 

“How come? It was all due to my pure talent. You just helped me a little.” 

Heejin sat up, shock written all over her face.

“Kim Hyunjin!” 

Hyunjin giggled and booped Heejin’s nose, “I’m just kidding. Of course I’m thankful for your help. I would have failed otherwise. I always thank you anyway, greedy.” 

Heejin settled back into Hyunjin’s lap and began to trace circles on her leg, “Yeah but it’s still nice to hear again. Maybe I am a little greedy.” 

Hyunjin turned off her phone and set it aside. She began to stroke Heejin’s hair. There was a comfortable silence between them….well not completely silent with the girls screaming in the living room. Hyejoo and Chaewon were over since their school let them out earlier.    
  
“Hey Hyunjin?” 

“Hmm?” 

“Do you think we would have met if you hadn’t been failing?” 

“Probably not. We don’t have any classes together...and honestly I didn’t even know who you were. Everyone else did though.” 

Heejin sat up and smirked, “Is that so? I guess you wouldn’t care about me but I had a big fat crush on you from the start. I remember the first time I saw you out in the field. I was just taking a detour to go home and I wanted some fresh air. I saw the way you were giving directions to your teammates. You were so confident and full of positive energy. I thought you were so attractive.” 

Hyunjin gently shoved Heejin’s shoulder but there was a slight blush on her cheeks, “Well, why didn’t you approach me?” 

Heejin laid her head on Hyunjin’s shoulder, “Well, I saw that you had groupies and honestly you were also really intimidating. It’s obvious you are popular. I didn’t think I stood a chance. But now that I know you...I should have just talked to you ages ago.” 

Hyunjin turned to look at Heejin, “Hey what’s that supposed to mean? You wanna fight?” 

Hyunjin put up her fists playfully and Heejin put hers up as well. 

“I mean that you are a giant goofball and not at all intimidating...except for the time you got angry at your groupies. That was pretty hot. But you are kind of an idiot….” 

“Ok that’s it, we are going to fight.”    
  
Hyunjin lunged forward and pushed Heejin down against the bed. She began to tickle her and Heejin was unable to fight back. Heejin began to laugh like a maniac but she couldn’t hold out anymore. 

“Mercy! Mercy!!!!! “ 

“Say you’re sorry!” 

“I’m sorry! You aren’t an idiot!” 

Hyunjin stopped her assault against Heejin, who was panting heavily with tears in her eyes. It was then they realized the position they were in. Hyunjin was straddling Heejin’s legs and Heejin’s shirt had rolled up somewhat. Before Hyunjin could apologize for putting them in that position, they heard a familiar voice. 

“Woahhhhhh, there are children in the living room and you girls are doing this???” 

Hyunjin jumped back about four feet and landed on the floor. 

“Bitch don’t you know how to knock?!” 

Yerim smirked and leaned against the doorframe, “The door was wide open. Didn’t know you were both exhibitionists. Also you really are a cat, Hyunjin. That jump was extreme!”  

Hyunjin got up from the floor and rubbed her butt, “Choi Yerim wait until we are done winning the final game. I swear I’m going to beat you.” 

Yerim scoffed, “You won’t do shit like always. Heejin won’t let you hurt me. Right Heej?”

Heejin was sitting up and adjusting her shirt, “Huh? Don’t get me involved. I was just assaulted by a tickle monster and I’m still recovering.” 

Yerim raised a brow, “Is that what you girls call it? I’d say you were both trying to f---” 

“Hey Yerim, when are you going to text Gahyeon back?”     
  
Yerim froze and her smirk turned into a glare, “None of your business.” 

“How come you keep blushing whenever I ask about her? Is it because I saw you whispering something in her ear?” 

“Shut up, Hyunjin. My mom sent over food so maybe you should go and eat some right now. Stuff your face.” 

Yerim turned around and stomped away. Hyunjin smirked, “Gets her every time.” 

Hyunjin turned to Heejin, “Sorry I did that. Hope it didn’t make you feel uncomfortable.” 

Heejin laughed and began to put her hair up in a ponytail, “No way. It’s fine. I mean, we are a couple right? And well...that’s just what couples do, right?” 

Hyunjin blushed but nodded her head, “Yeah...they do.” 

Heejin was about to ask for a kiss when Hyunjin’s phone began to vibrate. Heejin passed it over to Hyunjin who saw that there was a message from an unknown number. 

_ Unknown: “Hey Hyunjin! This is Minji from HFE High School. Um, I know this is strange but Gahyeon said it was ok for me to contact you. I wanted to apologize for the trouble Yoohyeon caused. It was completely wrong and I’ve already scolded her and punished her for what she’s done. Please accept my apologies for her actions. She’s sorry as well but she’s a little coward and is actually quite terrified of you right now. I’d like to go into this game with no hard feelings but I understand that you are probably very angry about the situation. Whatever happens tomorrow, I hope we both play a good game and I’d like us all to hang out no matter the outcome.”  _ __   
__   
“Who is it babe?” 

Hyunjin sat down next to Heejin and showed her the message, “It’s Minji, soccer team captain from HFE. She’s apologizing. I’m cool with her but I’m gonna destroy Yoohyeon anyway.” 

“Huh? Like fight her? Hyunjin please don’t.” 

Hyunjin chuckled and ruffled Heejin’s hair, “No silly, I’m going to destroy her during the game. No way am I fighting anyone ever.” 

Heejin let out a sigh of relief, “Well, ok that’s good to hear...I don’t want you to get in trouble. We are at the end of the year!” 

Hyunjin kissed Heejin’s cheek and smiled, “I won’t don’t worry.” 

Hyunjin began to get up to leave but Heejin tugged on her arm, “Can I get another kiss?” 

Hyunjin sat back down and inched her face closer to Heejin, “Ok, a quick one because like...there’s food waiting for us.”

“I’m honored that I’m placed before food in your heart.” 

“My mind consists of Heejin, food, soccer and cats.” 

Heejin gasped, remembering that she had once thought about how she wanted to be part of Hyunjin’s list of things she likes. Heejin pulled her close and kissed her. Hyunjin was a bit surprised by the passionate kiss but she wasn’t going to complain. The food could wait.

\------   
  
“So are we ready to kick ass?!” 

“Yeah!” 

“Are we going to win?!”

“YEAH!!” 

Hyunjin was hyping up her team and it was working. The girls were ready. Hyunjin could not be more proud of the group of girls she was leading. They were going to win and nothing was going to stop them. 

Hyunjin looked out into the crowd and saw Hyejoo and Chaewon, both looking at Hyejoo’s phone. Hyunjin shook her head. Damn kids were too into their games. Jiwoo and Sooyoung sat next to them. They saw Hyunjin from afar and began to wave. Jiwoo did a little dance and yelled, “KIM HYUNJIN!!! KIM HYUNJIN!!” Sooyoung covered her face in embarrassment but Hyunjin could see she was holding a banner in support for Hyunjin’s team.  It was still a little bit strange. Hyunjin had hated the girl’s guts for the longest time and now they were just getting along like nothing. Yeojin sat next to Hyejoo and Chaewon and she was lost in her own little game but she was the only one decked out in the school’s colors. Jinsoul and Jungeun sat next to Jiwoo and Sooyoung. Jungeun was resting her head on Jinsoul’s shoulder as Jinsoul fanned her lazily. Hyunjin had noticed that Jungeun put out a tough exterior but she was a huge softie at heart. She thought they were perfect for each other.    


Hyunjin kept looking around and spotted the person she wanted to see the most. Heejin. She was carrying the mascot head and held the banner from the previous game in hand. Next to her stood Gahyeon who also held a banner. Hyunjin assumed it was for Yerim. 

“Looking at your girl?” 

Yerim stood next to Hyunjin. 

“Yeah, she’s beautiful. But I see someone else next to her too. Seriously Yerim, is there anything going on between you two?” 

Yerim blushed but answered honestly, “Maybe. I’m gonna give a try. But don’t tease me about it!” 

Yerim looked away not wanting to meet Hyunjin’s gaze. 

“Yerim...look at me.” 

“No!” 

“Come on, look at me!” 

Yerim slowly turned to face Hyunjin, who was just making a silly face. Yerim broke out into laughter, “Unnie!” 

“I won’t tease you. I wish you luck. She really likes you. Make time for her, because I know you like her too.” 

“...Yeah.”    
  
The two girls were joined by Haseul who put them both in a headlock. For being so short in stature, she was pretty strong. 

“Come on! We need to line up for the handshake. Don’t break Yoohyeon’s hand, ok Hyunjin?” 

Hyunjin broke free from Haseul’s grip. 

“Suuuuureeee.” 

“Hey, I mean it.” 

“Fine, I won’t. She’s already scared of me. I don’t need to do much.” 

“Did you talk to Minji?” 

“Yeah, I smoothed things over with her. No hard feelings.” 

“Good, let’s get going then.” 

The three girls went to line up and they glanced over to the cheerleaders. Haseul was waving like a madwoman at Kahei who was wearing a uniform with Haseul’s numbers on the back. Hyunjin thought it was cute and figured she would gift Heejin her soccer hoodie since she’d be getting a new one the next year anyway. Yerim and Hyunjin waved at Kahei as well and she blew kisses their way. 

The handshakes went smoothly until Hyunjin reached Yoohyeon. Yoohyeon was visibly nervous. 

“I’m going to kick your ass. I hope you know that.” 

“I’m sorry.” 

“You don’t need to apologize. Minji already did that for you, idiot.” 

Yoohyeon looked away. Her fate was sealed. Hyunjin shook Yubin’s hand firmly. She didn’t have any problems with her. It wasn’t her fault her friend was an idiot. 

“Good luck, Hyunjin, but I know you won’t need it.” 

Both girls smirked at each other. At least Yubin knew they didn’t stand a chance. Hyunjin finally reached Minji, who only smiled at her. 

“Thanks for answering me last night, Hyunjin. Let’s have a good game, yeah? No hard feelings.” 

“None at all. Good luck! Whatever the outcome, let’s all hang out sometime during the summer.” 

“Sure!” 

And just like that the game began. Minji’s team had the advantage but in the end it meant absolutely nothing. Hyunjin’s team demolished HFE. 3-0. Hyunjin didn’t let one single ball get past her and her team went on the offense and scored two goals during the first period and one goal during the second. HFE tried their best but it wasn’t enough. The girls lacked stamina and had lost a player after too many red cards. 

The crowd went completely wild and Hyunjin held the championship trophy in hand. It felt unreal and she could feel her eyes fill up with tears. Her teammates all huddled around her in a group hug. All their hard work had paid off. They had gone through some troubles and for a while thought they wouldn’t recover but they did and they couldn’t be happier. 

Hyunjin handed the trophy over to Yerim and Haseul, while the rest of the team huddled around them, still celebrating their win. Kahei had joined them and was clinging onto Haseul like a koala.     
  
Heejin was standing near the bleachers and waving and jumping around. Hyunjin ran to her and picked her up and swung her around. Heejin giggled and hugged Hyunjin tightly. 

“Ah babe, I’m sweaty. I don’t want you to feel it.” 

Heejin ignored her and hugged her even tighter, “I don’t care. I’m so happy for you.” 

Hyunjin felt like crying. It was all too much for her. She felt an immense happiness. A few tears spilled over and ran down her cheeks. Heejin noticed quickly, “What’s wrong?? Are you ok? Are you hurt?” 

Hyunjin shook her head and laughed, “I’m fine. I’m just so happy. I felt so hopeless a couple months ago and everything just turned around for me and everyone else too. I’m just over the moon right now. I can’t help it. I love you, Heejin.” 

Heejin wiped away the tears that had stained Hyunjin’s cheeks and replaced them with light kisses. She reached her lips and kissed them tenderly. 

“I love you so much, Hyunjin.” 

They held each other and Hyunjin couldn’t help but feel positive for herself and for all of her friends. 

She looked forward to the upcoming year. Haseul and Kahei wouldn’t be around at school but their college was close enough that they’d still see each other on off days. Yeojin would be joining them in school and she was going to make sure to take care of her. It was nice to think about how much more she’d get to hang out with Hyejoo and Chaewon. And she looked forward to playing soccer with the other girls during the summer. 

And while she’d never admit it out loud, she was glad she had formed a friendship with Sooyoung. She was definitely cocky and stuck up but she could be sweet. She had enjoyed her company during their backyard party. 

Hyunjin looked at the girl before her. Heejin was smiling and every single pretty feature of her face was lit up with happiness. Hyunjin couldn’t help but be thankful that she had met her. 

Hyunjin thought again about all the things she liked. 

Soccer, food, cats, but most important of all, Jeon Heejin.   
  
[END]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well everyone, that's it. The final chapter. Thanks for sticking around. I'm very thankful for all the comments I received and I read every single one of them. I'll be writing a Hyewon fic after this but it will be much shorter. I don't know if I have it in me to write another long fic. 
> 
> I had so much fun writing this and I even had a notebook where I kept all my ideas. Loona has really inspired me in lots of ways lately. 
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading!


End file.
